Robert Wrocklage Acquires 1,650 Shares of Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Stock

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) EVP Robert Wrocklage purchased 1,650 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $152.35 per share, for a total transaction of $251,377.50. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 19,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,977,071.35. This represents a 9.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Shares of BMI opened at $157.33 on Thursday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1-year low of $139.14 and a 1-year high of $256.08. The stock has a market cap of $4.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $170.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.69.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $232.30 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.45% and a return on equity of 20.71%. Badger Meter’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.04 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 62.3% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BMI shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Argus lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $166.00 price target on Badger Meter and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $181.88.

About Badger Meter

Badger Meter, founded in 1905 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a global leader in flow measurement and control solutions. The company’s core business centers on the design, manufacture and sale of water meters, control valves and related accessories for municipal and industrial water utilities. Over its more than a century of operation, Badger Meter has built a reputation for precision engineering, durability and compliance with international regulatory standards.

The company’s product portfolio includes mechanical and ultrasonic water meters, electromagnetic flow meters for industrial applications, and a range of control valves that help utilities manage pressure and flow in distribution networks.