OP Asset Management Ltd Makes New Investment in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 4,294 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $654,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Values First Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 7,216 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,099,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in Badger Meter by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 24,934 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $4,399,000 after acquiring an additional 7,259 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Badger Meter by 50.5% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 212,285 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $37,025,000 after acquiring an additional 71,195 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in Badger Meter by 212.9% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearwave Capital LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at about $271,000. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Edward F. Callahan purchased 858 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was bought at an average price of $116.30 per share, for a total transaction of $99,785.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president directly owned 1,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $137,931.80. The trade was a 261.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Richard Htwe purchased 1,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $116.13 per share, with a total value of $197,421.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 7,603 shares in the company, valued at $882,936.39. This represents a 28.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired 6,628 shares of company stock valued at $777,128 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Price Performance

BMI opened at $148.66 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $126.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.55. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12 month low of $112.09 and a 12 month high of $249.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.56, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.68.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted 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 company had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on BMI shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Maxim Group downgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $155.86.

Badger Meter News Summary

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

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms issued reminders and investor alerts about the ongoing class action, increasing legal overhang and uncertainty for BMI shareholders. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The core allegations in the lawsuit may weigh on sentiment, including claims that Badger Meter misled investors about demand strength and near-term order trends. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One law firm specifically pointed to allegations that prior guidance of “high single-digit” growth was followed by a 9% revenue decline, which could reinforce concerns about execution and reporting credibility. Article Title

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.