Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Lowered to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Saturday.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on BMI. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Maxim Group lowered Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $155.86.

Badger Meter Price Performance

NYSE:BMI opened at $121.92 on Friday. Badger Meter has a one year low of $112.09 and a one year high of $256.08. The company has a market cap of $3.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.68. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $145.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $163.87.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 18.76%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Badger Meter will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Christina M. Tarantino acquired 870 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $113.80 per share, for a total transaction of $99,006.00. Following the purchase, the vice president directly owned 1,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $204,953.80. The trade was a 93.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst acquired 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $117.53 per share, with a total value of $258,566.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,480.28. This represents a 4.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 11,578 shares of company stock valued at $1,531,492 and sold 3,989 shares valued at $596,002. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Badger Meter by 76.5% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 62.3% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.