Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI Stock: Vest Financial LLC Raises Position

Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 42.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,360 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,889 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.18% of Badger Meter worth $6,592,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Dunhill Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Badger Meter in the second quarter worth $29,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 212.9% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Badger Meter this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Badger Meter reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.24, ahead of the $1.21–$1.23 analyst estimates and up from $1.19 a year earlier. Badger Meter Tops Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Operating earnings increased 4% year over year to $47.7 million, while operating margin expanded to 20.2% from 19.6%. Base gross margin reached 42.1%, supporting profitability even as reported revenue was essentially flat year over year. Badger Meter Reports Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Base sales grew 5% sequentially, while total sales of $235.9 million improved 6% from the second quarter. Management indicated it expects to sustain its growth momentum into 2027, providing investors with a constructive outlook. Badger Meter: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings call gave analysts an opportunity to question management about municipal utility demand, operating performance and the company’s growth plans, with the discussion centered on sustaining momentum beyond 2026. Badger Meter Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue of $235.9 million was slightly below the FactSet consensus of $240.4 million and increased only 0.1% from the prior year. The revenue miss limits the strength of the headline results and remains a risk for a stock trading at a premium valuation. Badger Meter Q3 Revenue

Badger Meter Trading Up 13.2%

Shares of Badger Meter stock opened at $149.32 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $130.23 and a 200 day moving average of $132.33. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12 month low of $112.09 and a 12 month high of $192.28. The firm has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 30.81, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.64.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.01. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.27% and a return on equity of 18.03%. The company had revenue of $230.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $240.35 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. Badger Meter’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.50 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 28th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 28th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from Badger Meter’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BMI. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $148.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Badger Meter from $172.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Badger Meter from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $159.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Edward Callahan bought 751 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $101,572.75. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president owned 1,937 shares in the company, valued at $261,979.25. The trade was a 63.32% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

About Badger Meter

Badger Meter, Inc is a water technology company that develops and manufactures flow measurement, control and communications solutions. Its products are used to measure and manage water across municipal, commercial and industrial applications, helping customers improve operational efficiency, monitor usage and support water conservation.

The company’s offerings include mechanical, ultrasonic and electromagnetic flow meters; valves and related flow-control equipment; and smart water technologies.