Raiffeisen Bank International AG Grows Stock Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 66.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG owned about 0.07% of Badger Meter worth $2,773,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BMI. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 62.3% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 1.9% in 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 buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 688 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,680 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $546,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, VP Edward Callahan bought 751 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $261,979.25. This trade represents a 63.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of Badger Meter stock opened at $132.14 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12 month low of $112.09 and a 12 month high of $204.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $137.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.99.

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

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Badger Meter’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 28th. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on BMI shares. Seaport Research Partners set a $160.00 target price on Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $112.00 price target (up from $109.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Badger Meter has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.00.

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.