Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) EVP Purchases $251,377.50 in Stock

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) EVP Robert Wrocklage bought 1,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $152.35 per share, for a total transaction of $251,377.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,977,071.35. The trade was a 9.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Badger Meter Trading Up 3.4%

NYSE:BMI traded up $5.16 on Tuesday, hitting $155.74. The company had a trading volume of 122,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 429,703. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.14 and a 52 week high of $256.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.44, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $171.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.12.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $232.30 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.45% and a return on equity of 20.71%. The company’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.04 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $166.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Argus cut Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays set a $136.00 target price on Badger Meter and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $191.00 price target (down from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $181.88.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Badger Meter

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in Badger Meter by 62.3% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% 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.