Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Shares Up 10% on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI – Get Free Report)’s share price was up 10% on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $147.80 and last traded at $145.0790. Approximately 105,957 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 472,698 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.86.

The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.01. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.27% and a return on equity of 18.03%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 28th were given a $0.44 dividend. This is an increase from Badger Meter’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 28th. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BMI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised Badger Meter from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $167.00 target price on Badger Meter and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Northcoast Research raised Badger Meter from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $148.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Seaport Research Partners set a $160.00 price target on Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $159.38.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Badger Meter

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In related news, VP Edward Callahan purchased 751 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $101,572.75. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $261,979.25. This trade represents a 63.32% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. XXEC Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter valued at about $825,029,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Badger Meter during the second quarter valued at about $725,926,000. Amundi increased its stake in Badger Meter by 28.5% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 590,079 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $87,595,000 after acquiring an additional 131,016 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Badger Meter by 54.8% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 560,356 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $85,370,000 after acquiring an additional 198,430 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 540,272 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $82,305,000 after acquiring an additional 29,623 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Trading Up 9.8%

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $129.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $132.38. The stock has a market cap of $4.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.08, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.64.

Badger Meter Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Badger Meter, Inc is a water technology company that develops and manufactures flow measurement, control and communications solutions. Its products are used to measure and manage water across municipal, commercial and industrial applications, helping customers improve operational efficiency, monitor usage and support water conservation.

The company’s offerings include mechanical, ultrasonic and electromagnetic flow meters; valves and related flow-control equipment; and smart water technologies.

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