Northcoast Research Upgrades Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) to Neutral

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) was upgraded by analysts at Northcoast Research from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports.

BMI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. StockNews.com lowered Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Badger Meter from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $147.50.

Badger Meter Price Performance

BMI stock traded up $19.98 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $172.98. 251,812 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 173,727. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.08 billion, a PE ratio of 54.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.86. Badger Meter has a 52 week low of $119.02 and a 52 week high of $174.88. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $156.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.37.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $182.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $182.24 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 13.16%. Badger Meter’s quarterly revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Badger Meter will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In related news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 1,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.23, for a total transaction of $221,221.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 13,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,096,919.06. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 1,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.23, for a total transaction of $221,221.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 13,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,096,919.06. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.55, for a total value of $30,952.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 13,672 shares in the company, valued at $2,181,367.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,813 shares of company stock worth $448,167 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 89.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Badger Meter Company Profile

Badger Meter, Inc manufactures and markets flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions worldwide. It offers mechanical or static water meters, and related radio and software technologies and services to municipal water utilities market. The company also provides flow instrumentation products, including meters, valves, and other sensing instruments to measure and control fluids going through a pipe or pipeline, including water, air, steam, and other liquids and gases to original equipment manufacturers as the primary flow measurement device within a product or system, as well as through manufacturers' representatives.