325 Shares in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI Acquired by Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 325 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. bought a new position in Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $551,000. Planning Center Inc. bought a new position in Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $221,000. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 197.1% during the 2nd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 3,901 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $956,000 after acquiring an additional 2,588 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 32.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 6,647 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,636,000 after acquiring an additional 1,633 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 170.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE BMI opened at $187.55 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $162.17 and a 12-month high of $256.08. The company has a market capitalization of $5.53 billion, a PE ratio of 39.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $180.55 and its 200-day moving average is $208.93.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.08. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 21.12%. The company had revenue of $235.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $231.88 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is a boost from Badger Meter’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 22nd. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is 34.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on BMI. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $229.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $230.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.33.

About Badger Meter

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.