Tudor Investment Corp ET AL Boosts Stock Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 67.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 106,927 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 42,891 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL owned approximately 0.36% of Badger Meter worth $19,095,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $83,548,000. Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the third quarter worth $45,435,000. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 99.5% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 401,668 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $72,203,000 after acquiring an additional 200,330 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 3,540.4% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 192,031 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $34,293,000 after acquiring an additional 186,756 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 95.2% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 376,697 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $67,271,000 after purchasing an additional 183,755 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus lowered Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $167.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $191.00 price target (down from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Four 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $181.88.

Badger Meter Stock Down 0.3%

Badger Meter stock opened at $148.01 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.14 and a 52 week high of $256.08. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $171.17. The stock has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.84, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.87.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released 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 business had revenue of $220.71 million during 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 business’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.04 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is 33.33%.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In related news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst bought 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $152.42 per share, with a total value of $502,986.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,098,781.46. This trade represents a 8.99% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert Wrocklage bought 1,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $152.35 per share, with a total value of $251,377.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,977,071.35. The trade was a 9.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,989 shares of company stock valued at $596,002. Company insiders own 0.80% 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.