Raiffeisen Bank International AG Takes Position in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 5,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $885,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BMI. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 170.5% during the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Badger Meter by 27.3% in the third quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Badger Meter in the second quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the second quarter worth about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst acquired 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $152.42 per share, with a total value of $502,986.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,098,781.46. This represents a 8.99% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert Wrocklage acquired 1,650 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $152.35 per share, with a total value of $251,377.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 19,541 shares in the company, valued at $2,977,071.35. This represents a 9.22% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BMI has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $167.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays set a $136.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $181.88.

Badger Meter Price Performance

BMI opened at $159.53 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $4.66 billion, a PE ratio of 33.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $167.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $176.19. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.14 and a 1 year high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $232.30 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.45% and a return on equity of 20.71%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.04 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is 33.33%.

Badger Meter Profile

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.