Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $2.32 Million in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 13,001 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,322,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BMI. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in Badger Meter in the second quarter valued at about $49,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, MAI Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 57.6% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 260 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of BMI opened at $147.11 on Wednesday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.14 and a twelve month high of $256.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50 day moving average of $160.29 and a 200-day moving average of $173.07.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is 33.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays set a $136.00 target price on Badger Meter and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $191.00 price target (down from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $181.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst acquired 3,300 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $152.42 per share, for a total transaction of $502,986.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,098,781.46. This represents a 8.99% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,634 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $485,176.56. The trade was a 33.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,989 shares of company stock valued at $596,002. Corporate insiders own 0.90% 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.