Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Price Target Cut to $140.00 by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) had its target price cut by Stifel Nicolaus from $174.00 to $140.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research raised Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $191.00 price objective (down from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays set a $110.00 price objective on Badger Meter and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.38.

Badger Meter Price Performance

BMI opened at $113.21 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $151.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $166.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.56, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.90. Badger Meter has a 12 month low of $112.09 and a 12 month high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is presently 36.12%.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 2,064 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $309,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $456,000. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,634 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.01, for a total value of $243,482.34. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $485,176.56. The trade was a 33.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 3,989 shares of company stock valued at $596,002 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $227,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Badger Meter by 328.0% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,766 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $717,000 after acquiring an additional 2,886 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Badger Meter by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,334 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $572,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp purchased a new stake in Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its stake in Badger Meter by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 50,225 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $12,303,000 after acquiring an additional 5,041 shares during the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Badger Meter

Here are the key news stories impacting Badger Meter this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted a strong project pipeline and the strategic UDlive acquisition, which analysts say support long‑term growth despite the quarter’s weakness. Zacks: Q1 Earnings & Revenues Miss
• Neutral Sentiment: Several brokers trimmed price targets but kept buy/outperform ratings, reflecting model resets rather than wholesale loss of conviction (cuts include RBC, Stifel, Robert W. Baird). (See analyst coverage summary.) Benzinga: Analysts Slash Forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 FY26 results missed expectations: adjusted EPS of $0.93 and revenue of $202.3M (sales down ~9%). Management blamed project timing and pacing for the short‑cycle weakness, which pressured near‑term results and sentiment. Benzinga: Q1 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts reduced earnings and price targets following the miss, amplifying downward pressure on the share price as models absorb lower short‑cycle revenue. Benzinga: Analysts Slash Forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder litigation inquiry — Johnson Fistel is investigating potential claims related to Badger Meter’s executives, introducing legal/uncertainty risk that can weigh on sentiment. GlobeNewsWire: Shareholder Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: The stock set a new 12‑month low after earnings, underscoring the market’s focus on near‑term execution risk even as longer‑term drivers remain cited by management. American Banking News: 12‑Month Low

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.