Vanguard Group Inc. Has $707.23 Million Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,960,308 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 145,389 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 13.44% of Badger Meter worth $707,232,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 170.5% in the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 27.3% during the third quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter valued at about $54,000. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Robert Wrocklage bought 1,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $152.35 per share, with a total value of $251,377.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 19,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,977,071.35. This trade represents a 9.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst purchased 3,300 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $152.42 per share, for a total transaction of $502,986.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 40,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,098,781.46. This represents a 8.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on BMI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $191.00 price objective (down previously from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research cut shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $165.00 target price on Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $181.88.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

BMI opened at $156.20 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $166.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $175.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a PE ratio of 32.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.90. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.14 and a 52 week high of $256.08.

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

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.33%.

Badger Meter 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.