Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Takes $2.13 Million Position in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 12,192 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,126,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 113.9% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 95,662 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $16,684,000 after buying an additional 50,949 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 75,858 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $13,230,000 after buying an additional 3,542 shares during the last quarter. Alta Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,328,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 93,725 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $16,347,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abacus Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,780,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Badger Meter news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst acquired 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $117.53 per share, with a total value of $258,566.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,480.28. The trade was a 4.45% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Robert Wrocklage acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $122.35 per share, with a total value of $122,350.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,853,324.35. This trade represents a 4.48% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 6,628 shares of company stock worth $777,128 and have sold 3,989 shares worth $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Shares of BMI opened at $117.72 on Thursday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a one year low of $112.09 and a one year high of $256.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.57, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a fifty day moving average of $137.61 and a 200 day moving average of $158.34.

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

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is presently 36.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BMI. Barclays set a $110.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Argus cut shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $167.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Badger Meter from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $155.86.

Badger Meter Company 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.