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

Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $218.75.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Maxim Group lifted their price objective on Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total transaction of $240,571.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,064,640.24. This represents a 18.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.13, for a total value of $31,395.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,980,638.63. This represents a 1.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 162.5% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 147 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 2,457.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 179 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Badger Meter Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Badger Meter stock opened at $206.86 on Wednesday. Badger Meter has a 12 month low of $150.87 and a 12 month high of $239.11. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $212.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $214.10. The stock has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 48.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.77% and a net margin of 15.12%. Analysts expect that Badger Meter will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is 32.15%.

Badger Meter Company Profile

Badger Meter, Inc manufactures and markets flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions worldwide. It offers mechanical or static water meters, and related radio and software technologies and services to municipal water utilities market. The company also provides flow instrumentation products, including meters, valves, and other sensing instruments to measure and control fluids going through a pipe or pipeline, including water, air, steam, and other liquids and gases to original equipment manufacturers as the primary flow measurement device within a product or system, as well as through manufacturers' representatives.