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

Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $181.8750.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $166.00 price target on Badger Meter and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Argus lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BMI opened at $158.19 on Wednesday. Badger Meter has a 52-week low of $139.14 and a 52-week high of $256.08. The company has a market capitalization of $4.62 billion, a PE ratio of 32.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $166.41 and a 200-day moving average of $175.74.

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

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Badger Meter

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BMI. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Badger Meter by 148.3% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 48,190 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $11,804,000 after buying an additional 28,779 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at $343,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 70,488 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $12,588,000 after acquiring an additional 8,387 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 43.7% during the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 330,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $58,938,000 after acquiring an additional 100,298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Badger Meter by 85.9% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 82,568 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $14,745,000 after purchasing an additional 38,160 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

About Badger Meter

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.