Robeco Schweiz AG Boosts Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Robeco Schweiz AG lifted its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 89.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 139,222 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 65,624 shares during the period. Robeco Schweiz AG’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $24,282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BMI. UBS Group AG increased its stake 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 position in shares of Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter worth about $45,435,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 39.2% in 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 in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 99.5% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 401,668 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $72,203,000 after acquiring an additional 200,330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 3,540.4% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 192,031 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $34,293,000 after acquiring an additional 186,756 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Richard Htwe acquired 1,700 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $116.13 per share, for a total transaction of $197,421.00. Following the purchase, the vice president owned 7,603 shares in the company, valued at $882,936.39. This trade represents a 28.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Christina M. Tarantino acquired 870 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $113.80 per share, with a total value of $99,006.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president owned 1,801 shares in the company, valued at $204,953.80. This represents a 93.45% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 11,578 shares of company stock worth $1,531,492 and sold 3,989 shares worth $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 3rd. Argus lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $197.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $155.86.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

NYSE:BMI opened at $124.24 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.68. Badger Meter, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $112.09 and a fifty-two week high of $256.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $144.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $162.96.

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 for the quarter. The business had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 18.76%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

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

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.