Bessemer Group Inc. Purchases 20,624 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 166,407 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,624 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $29,023,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, VP Richard Htwe bought 1,700 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $116.13 per share, with a total value of $197,421.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 7,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $882,936.39. This represents a 28.80% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst bought 2,200 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $117.53 per share, for a total transaction of $258,566.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,676 shares in the company, valued at $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. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 6,628 shares of company stock worth $777,128 and sold 3,989 shares worth $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on BMI. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Badger Meter from $174.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Argus lowered Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Zacks Research raised Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Badger Meter from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $155.86.

Badger Meter Trading Down 2.8%

BMI opened at $114.19 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.78, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.68. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12 month low of $112.09 and a 12 month high of $256.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $139.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.86.

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

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

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