Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Trims Stock Position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lowered its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,038 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 135 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $1,550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 33.3% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 532 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 2.1% in the third quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 6,277 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $903,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in Badger Meter by 6.4% during the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 249,150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $35,845,000 after acquiring an additional 14,984 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd grew its holdings in Badger Meter by 18.3% during the third quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 20,765 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,987,000 after acquiring an additional 3,215 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the third quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.55, for a total transaction of $30,952.70. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 13,672 shares in the company, valued at $2,181,367.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.55, for a total value of $30,952.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 13,672 shares in the company, valued at $2,181,367.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total transaction of $195,992.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $355,328.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,813 shares of company stock worth $448,167 over the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Maxim Group upped their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $147.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Northcoast Research raised Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Badger Meter from $151.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $162.50.

Badger Meter Price Performance

BMI traded down $2.06 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $184.34. 88,749 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 185,460. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1-year low of $128.93 and a 1-year high of $187.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a PE ratio of 53.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $159.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $151.50.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued 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 return on equity of 20.26% and a net margin of 13.81%. The firm had revenue of $196.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $182.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 3.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.12%.

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.