Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Has $3.25 Million Stock Position in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,171 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,267 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $3,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter valued at $83,548,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its position in Badger Meter by 78.1% during the second quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 612,809 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $150,108,000 after buying an additional 268,799 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Badger Meter by 108.2% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 342,099 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $83,797,000 after buying an additional 177,781 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Badger Meter by 27.1% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 802,166 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $196,491,000 after acquiring an additional 171,275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Badger Meter by 43.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 503,171 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $89,856,000 after acquiring an additional 153,213 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 2,064 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $309,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,040 shares in the company, valued at approximately $456,000. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,634 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.01, for a total value of $243,482.34. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $485,176.56. This represents a 33.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,846 shares of company stock valued at $575,339. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

NYSE:BMI opened at $146.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $162.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.06. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.14 and a 52 week high of $256.08.

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

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BMI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $167.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Argus lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $165.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays set a $136.00 price target on shares of Badger Meter and gave the company an “underweight” rating 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $181.88.

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.