Farther Finance Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Farther Finance Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 43.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 259 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $63,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Badger Meter by 100.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 184 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its position in Badger Meter by 83.0% during the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 194 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Badger Meter during the first quarter worth about $37,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter during the first quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Badger Meter during the first quarter worth about $45,000. 89.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

NYSE BMI opened at $180.93 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.72. Badger Meter, Inc. has a one year low of $162.17 and a one year high of $256.08. The firm has a market cap of $5.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.42, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.90.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.02). Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.53% and a return on equity of 21.57%. The business had revenue of $238.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $235.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.12 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Badger Meter’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on BMI. Stifel Nicolaus set a $224.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $216.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $284.00 to $264.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $237.00.

Badger Meter Company Profile

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.