Numerai GP LLC Increases Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Numerai GP LLC increased its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 279.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 15,158 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 11,161 shares during the quarter. Numerai GP LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $2,707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BMI. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $227,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 328.0% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,766 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $717,000 after acquiring an additional 2,886 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $414,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 876,519 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $215,464,000 after purchasing an additional 19,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 6,753 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,654,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Up 3.9%

NYSE:BMI opened at $152.37 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $158.04 and a 200 day moving average of $171.97. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.14 and a 52 week high of $256.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.87.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $232.30 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.45% and a return on equity of 20.71%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.04 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $166.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Argus downgraded Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $191.00 target price (down from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $181.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,634 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.01, for a total value of $243,482.34. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $485,176.56. This trade represents a 33.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Fred J. Begale sold 2,064 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $309,600.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,040 shares in the company, valued at approximately $456,000. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 3,989 shares of company stock valued at $596,002 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

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.