Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys 7,259 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 41.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 24,934 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,259 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $4,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth approximately $83,819,000. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 89.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 712,650 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $124,293,000 after acquiring an additional 335,953 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,435,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in Badger Meter by 39.2% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 754,402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $131,592,000 after acquiring an additional 212,448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in Badger Meter by 99.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 401,668 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $72,203,000 after purchasing an additional 200,330 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on BMI shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Maxim Group lowered Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Badger Meter has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $155.86.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Shares of Badger Meter stock opened at $141.04 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.22. Badger Meter, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $112.09 and a fifty-two week high of $249.56.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%.The firm had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is presently 36.12%.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In other news, EVP Robert Wrocklage purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $122.35 per share, with a total value of $122,350.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 23,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,853,324.35. The trade was a 4.48% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Christina M. Tarantino purchased 870 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $113.80 per share, for a total transaction of $99,006.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president owned 1,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $204,953.80. The trade was a 93.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased a total of 6,628 shares of company stock valued at $777,128 over the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Badger Meter Company 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.