Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Shares Purchased by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 21.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 6,499 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,155 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $1,003,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 8,666.7% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 532 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on BMI shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $151.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Maxim Group raised their target price on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Northcoast Research upgraded Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $147.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total transaction of $195,992.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $355,328.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total value of $195,992.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $355,328.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 13,672 shares in the company, valued at $2,181,367.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,813 shares of company stock valued at $448,167 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Badger Meter Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE:BMI opened at $185.52 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.46, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $160.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.38. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.75 and a 1 year high of $187.41.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $196.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $182.25 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 20.26% and a net margin of 13.81%. Badger Meter’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 3.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th will be given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is 31.12%.

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.