Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Maxim Group

Maxim Group cut shares of Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Thursday morning, MarketBeat reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on BMI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $167.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays set a $110.00 price target on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $197.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $155.86.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

BMI stock opened at $123.07 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $149.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.93. The firm has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.78, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90. Badger Meter has a 1 year low of $112.09 and a 1 year high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%.The company had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. On average, research analysts predict that Badger Meter will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.12%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst acquired 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $152.42 per share, with a total value of $502,986.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,013 shares in the company, valued at $6,098,781.46. The trade was a 8.99% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Richard Htwe acquired 1,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $116.13 per share, for a total transaction of $197,421.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president owned 7,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $882,936.39. This trade represents a 28.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders bought 11,578 shares of company stock valued at $1,531,492 and sold 3,989 shares valued at $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Badger Meter

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

More Badger Meter News

Here are the key news stories impacting Badger Meter this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several senior insiders bought stock (CEO Kenneth Bockhorst: 2,200 shares at ~$117.53; EVP Robert Wrocklage: 1,000 shares at ~$122.35; VPs Christina Tarantino, Edward Callahan, Richard Htwe also bought), signaling management confidence and providing a near‑term positive catalyst. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional holders remain active (institutional ownership ~89%) and several funds added to positions last quarter, which can stabilize the float. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s Q1 presentation attributes the shortfall mainly to project timing and one‑quarter execution issues — useful context that tempers long‑term concerns but doesn’t remove near‑term pressure. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus remains a “Hold” with an average price target around ~$166 — analysts are mixed, so future revisions will matter. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 results missed estimates (lower revenues/adjusted EPS) and several brokers have trimmed forecasts and models, which is the primary near‑term driver of the share weakness. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst actions this week increased downside risk: Maxim downgraded BMI to Hold, Barclays reiterated a Sell/underweight (low target), and RBC, Stifel, R.W. Baird cut expectations — lower targets and weaker coverage can prolong selling pressure. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Active investor‑loss litigation notices (Pomerantz, Johnson Fistel) add legal/headline risk that could hurt sentiment until resolved. Read More.

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.