Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Has $17.53 Million Stock Position in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 25.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 100,526 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,287 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $17,533,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Badger Meter by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,979,893 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $694,133,000 after acquiring an additional 19,585 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Badger Meter by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,462,807 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $358,315,000 after acquiring an additional 20,122 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Badger Meter by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 970,219 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $173,262,000 after acquiring an additional 168,053 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Badger Meter by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 876,854 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $152,951,000 after acquiring an additional 4,035 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted 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 period. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Shares of BMI stock opened at $123.86 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $134.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.61. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $112.09 and a twelve month high of $256.08. The company has a market capitalization of $3.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.96, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.68.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%.The business had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter. On average, analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $140.00 price target on Badger Meter in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays set a $110.00 price target on Badger Meter and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 10th. Zacks Research upgraded Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 3rd. Finally, Argus lowered Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Badger Meter presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $155.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Richard Htwe acquired 1,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $116.13 per share, with a total value of $197,421.00. Following the purchase, the vice president owned 7,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $882,936.39. The trade was a 28.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Fred J. Begale sold 2,064 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $456,000. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders purchased 6,628 shares of company stock worth $777,128 and sold 3,841 shares worth $573,746. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.