Robert W. Baird Boosts Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Price Target to $180.00

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $151.00 to $180.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 0.83% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on BMI. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Northcoast Research raised shares of Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.83.

Badger Meter Trading Up 16.7 %

Badger Meter stock opened at $178.51 on Friday. Badger Meter has a 12-month low of $119.02 and a 12-month high of $179.51. The stock has a market cap of $5.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.85, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $156.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.37.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.17. Badger Meter had a net margin of 13.16% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The firm had revenue of $196.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $182.25 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. Badger Meter’s revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Badger Meter will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 1,416 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.23, for a total value of $221,221.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 13,422 shares in the company, valued at $2,096,919.06. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 1,416 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.23, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total transaction of $195,992.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at $355,328.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,813 shares of company stock worth $448,167 over the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Badger Meter

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Badger Meter

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.