Headlands Technologies LLC Makes New $683,000 Investment in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 4,605 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $683,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,680 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $546,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Badger Meter by 7,734.8% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 56,724 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $8,417,000 after acquiring an additional 56,000 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter valued at $652,000. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,353,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in Badger Meter during the second quarter worth $485,000. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BMI opened at $132.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.65. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $137.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.16. Badger Meter, Inc. has a one year low of $112.09 and a one year high of $204.00.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $220.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $220.59 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.03% and a net margin of 14.27%.The company’s revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.17 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This is a positive change from Badger Meter’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 28th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Badger Meter news, VP Edward F. Callahan acquired 751 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $101,572.75. Following the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 1,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $261,979.25. This trade represents a 63.32% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $112.00 target price (up from $109.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.00.

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.