Brokerages Set Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Price Target at $155.86

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $155.8571.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Maxim Group cut shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $197.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 transaction of $243,482.34. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $485,176.56. This trade represents a 33.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Fred J. Begale sold 2,064 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,040 shares in the company, valued at $456,000. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 11,578 shares of company stock worth $1,531,492 and sold 3,989 shares worth $596,002. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Badger Meter

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 521 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 62.3% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 20,165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,517,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 4,316 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $753,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of NYSE BMI opened at $118.66 on Monday. Badger Meter has a 12-month low of $112.09 and a 12-month high of $256.08. The company has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $143.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $162.56.

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

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.12%.

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.