Caxton Associates LLP Acquires Shares of 6,221 Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 6,221 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,524,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BMI. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 170.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter valued at $49,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter worth about $54,000. MAI Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 57.6% in the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 260 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter worth about $66,000. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Trading Down 0.6%

BMI stock opened at $183.72 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.09, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $179.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $198.17. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12 month low of $162.17 and a 12 month high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $235.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $231.88 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.12% and a net margin of 15.40%.The firm’s revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is presently 34.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $229.00 price target on Badger Meter and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings cut Badger Meter from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $208.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $240.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.00.

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.