Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Purchases 6,002 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 12.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,988 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,002 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd owned approximately 0.19% of Badger Meter worth $9,765,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC increased its position in Badger Meter by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 59.5% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,139 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,051 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Schweiz AG grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 89.2% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 139,222 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $24,282,000 after purchasing an additional 65,624 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Badger Meter news, VP Edward F. Callahan acquired 858 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $116.30 per share, with a total value of $99,785.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president directly owned 1,186 shares in the company, valued at $137,931.80. The trade was a 261.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert Wrocklage acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $122.35 per share, with a total value of $122,350.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 23,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,853,324.35. This trade represents a 4.48% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 6,628 shares of company stock valued at $777,128 and sold 3,989 shares valued at $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Badger Meter from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Maxim Group cut shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $174.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $155.86.

Badger Meter Price Performance

NYSE:BMI opened at $115.07 on Wednesday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1-year low of $112.09 and a 1-year high of $256.08. The company has a 50-day moving average of $141.45 and a 200 day moving average of $161.17. The firm has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a PE ratio of 25.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.68.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 18.76%. The company had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is 36.12%.

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.