Hantz Financial Services Inc. Has $1.56 Million Stake in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 15,880.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,949 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 8,893 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $1,561,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 89.2% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 712,650 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $124,293,000 after purchasing an additional 335,953 shares during the period. Bamco Inc. NY acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the third quarter worth about $45,435,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 39.2% during the fourth 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 purchasing an additional 212,448 shares during the period. Amundi raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 99.5% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 401,668 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $72,203,000 after purchasing an additional 200,330 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 3,540.4% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 192,031 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $34,293,000 after purchasing an additional 186,756 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on BMI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Maxim Group lowered Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays set a $110.00 price objective on Badger Meter and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Badger Meter presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $155.86.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 2,064 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $456,000. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Htwe acquired 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $116.13 per share, with a total value of $197,421.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 7,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $882,936.39. This represents a 28.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders acquired 6,628 shares of company stock worth $777,128 and sold 3,989 shares worth $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Badger Meter Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE BMI opened at $125.47 on Thursday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12 month low of $112.09 and a 12 month high of $256.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $135.38 and a 200-day moving average of $156.27. The company has a market capitalization of $3.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.68.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter. The company 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%. Analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is currently 36.12%.

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.