Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $164.00.

BMI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $170.00 price objective on Badger Meter and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Badger Meter from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Badger Meter from $172.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $112.00 price target (up from $109.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th.

Badger Meter Stock Down 0.6%

BMI stock opened at $135.69 on Wednesday. Badger Meter has a twelve month low of $112.09 and a twelve month high of $204.00. The company has a market cap of $3.93 billion, a PE ratio of 31.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $137.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.66.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $220.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $220.59 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.03% and a net margin of 14.27%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.17 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter will post 4.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, VP Edward F. Callahan acquired 751 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $101,572.75. Following the purchase, the vice president directly owned 1,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $261,979.25. This represents a 63.32% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $725,926,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth approximately $83,819,000. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 89.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 712,650 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $124,293,000 after purchasing an additional 335,953 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 39.2% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 754,402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $131,592,000 after purchasing an additional 212,448 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 99.5% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 401,668 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $72,203,000 after purchasing an additional 200,330 shares in the last quarter. 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.