Golden State Wealth Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 100.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 184 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $35,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 162.5% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 147 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the first quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 261.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 597 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BMI opened at $240.31 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.83. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1-year low of $162.17 and a 1-year high of $256.08. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $240.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $217.79.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.22. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 22.35% and a net margin of 15.74%. The company had revenue of $222.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $220.39 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on BMI. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Badger Meter from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Badger Meter in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Badger Meter from $218.00 to $216.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Argus set a $240.00 target price on Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Badger Meter from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $236.60.

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.