Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys 7,259 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 41.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 24,934 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,259 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $4,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of BMI. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 50.5% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 212,285 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $37,025,000 after buying an additional 71,195 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 212.9% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Clearwave Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at about $271,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $438,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,925 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,559,000 after buying an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Badger Meter News

Here are the key news stories impacting Badger Meter this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms highlighted a securities fraud class action against Badger Meter, keeping legal risk in focus and potentially pressuring the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Robbins LLP said a class action has been filed on behalf of BMI investors, adding to the legal overhang. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein Liebhard, the Schall Law Firm, Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter, Faruqi & Faruqi, Berger Montague, and others repeated the same deadline-driven class-action notice, which reinforces uncertainty but does not add new company fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One note highlighted Badger Meter’s long-term growth potential and a separate Zacks Research upgrade from “strong sell” to “hold,” but these were outweighed by the legal headlines. Article Title

Badger Meter Trading Up 0.4%

BMI opened at $145.09 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $112.09 and a 12-month high of $249.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.24 billion, a PE ratio of 32.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $129.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $146.77.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 18.76%. As a group, analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is currently 36.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BMI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Badger Meter from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Maxim Group downgraded Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $155.86.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In related news, VP Christina M. Tarantino purchased 870 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $113.80 per share, with a total value of $99,006.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $204,953.80. This trade represents a 93.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Edward F. Callahan acquired 858 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $116.30 per share, with a total value of $99,785.40. Following the purchase, the vice president directly owned 1,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $137,931.80. The trade was a 261.59% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired a total of 6,628 shares of company stock valued at $777,128 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Company Profile

Badger Meter, founded in 1905 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a global leader in flow measurement and control solutions. The company’s core business centers on the design, manufacture and sale of water meters, control valves and related accessories for municipal and industrial water utilities. Over its more than a century of operation, Badger Meter has built a reputation for precision engineering, durability and compliance with international regulatory standards.

The company’s product portfolio includes mechanical and ultrasonic water meters, electromagnetic flow meters for industrial applications, and a range of control valves that help utilities manage pressure and flow in distribution networks.