Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Stake Increased by Janus Henderson Group PLC

Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,827 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,642 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 0.11% of Badger Meter worth $6,964,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 162.5% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 147 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 2,457.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 179 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on BMI. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Argus set a $240.00 price target on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Maxim Group raised their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $218.00 to $216.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $209.00 to $196.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $229.80.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Badger Meter stock opened at $245.05 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1 year low of $162.17 and a 1 year high of $249.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $203.96 and its 200-day moving average is $211.80. The company has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.93, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.22. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 21.77%. The business had revenue of $222.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $220.39 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Badger Meter news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 2,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.33, for a total transaction of $508,157.28. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,986,475.67. This trade represents a 14.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst sold 16,073 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total transaction of $3,371,151.02. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 34,961 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,332,720.14. The trade was a 31.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Company Profile

Badger Meter, Inc manufactures and markets flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions worldwide. It offers mechanical or static water meters, and related radio and software technologies and services to municipal water utilities market. The company also provides flow instrumentation products, including meters, valves, and other sensing instruments to measure and control fluids going through a pipe or pipeline, including water, air, steam, and other liquids and gases to original equipment manufacturers as the primary flow measurement device within a product or system, as well as through manufacturers' representatives.