Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI Shares Acquired by Lbp Am Sa

Lbp Am Sa increased its holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 104.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 77,078 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 39,365 shares during the period. Lbp Am Sa owned about 0.26% of Badger Meter worth $13,443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 62.3% in the third 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. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 27.3% during the 3rd quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst acquired 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $152.42 per share, with a total value of $502,986.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,013 shares in the company, valued at $6,098,781.46. The trade was a 8.99% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Robert Wrocklage acquired 1,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $152.35 per share, for a total transaction of $251,377.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 19,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,977,071.35. This trade represents a 9.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,989 shares of company stock valued at $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $167.00 price target on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Argus lowered Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $174.00 price objective on Badger Meter and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $183.88.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

BMI stock opened at $152.83 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.84, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.90. Badger Meter, Inc. has a one year low of $139.14 and a one year high of $256.08. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $153.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $167.99.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $232.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.04 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is 33.33%.

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.