Vontobel Holding Ltd. Purchases 674 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 11,857 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $1,830,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BMI. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 532 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 8,666.7% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 526 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BMI. Northcoast Research upgraded Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Badger Meter from $151.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $147.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Maxim Group raised their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.50.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In related news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 1,416 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.23, for a total value of $221,221.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 13,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,096,919.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 1,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.23, for a total value of $221,221.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 13,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,096,919.06. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.55, for a total transaction of $30,952.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 13,672 shares in the company, valued at $2,181,367.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,813 shares of company stock valued at $448,167. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:BMI opened at $176.68 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.27, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $157.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.56. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $126.66 and a twelve month high of $181.00.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.17. Badger Meter had a net margin of 13.16% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The company had revenue of $196.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $182.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. Badger Meter’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.39%.

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.