Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) VP Kimberly Stoll Sells 143 Shares of Stock

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) VP Kimberly Stoll sold 143 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.50, for a total transaction of $20,663.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,073.50. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BMI traded down $2.43 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $147.11. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 170,770 shares, compared to its average volume of 420,423. Badger Meter, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.14 and a fifty-two week high of $256.08. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $160.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $173.37. The company has a market capitalization of $4.29 billion, a PE ratio of 30.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.87.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $232.30 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.45% and a return on equity of 20.71%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.04 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BMI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $167.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Argus cut shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Badger Meter presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $181.88.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Badger Meter

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $227,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 328.0% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,766 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $717,000 after acquiring an additional 2,886 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at $390,000. Savant Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at $414,000. Finally, Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at $641,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

About Badger Meter

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.