Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Has $8.42 Million Stock Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 7,734.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,724 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 56,000 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $8,417,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BMI. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 76.5% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in Badger Meter by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 4,316 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $753,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Badger Meter by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 688 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Badger Meter by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 486 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Edward F. Callahan bought 751 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $101,572.75. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president owned 1,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $261,979.25. This trade represents a 63.32% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on BMI. Robert W. Baird set a $167.00 price objective on Badger Meter and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Seaport Research Partners set a $160.00 target price on Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research raised Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $112.00 price target (up from $109.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.00.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

NYSE BMI opened at $132.54 on Thursday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $112.09 and a twelve month high of $204.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.84 billion, a PE ratio of 30.97, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $137.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $138.16.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $220.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $220.59 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.03% and a net margin of 14.27%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.17 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This is a boost from Badger Meter’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 28th. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.12%.

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.