Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Buys 4,588 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 10.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 47,356 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,588 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $8,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new stake in Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,435,000. Amundi boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 99.5% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 401,668 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $72,203,000 after buying an additional 200,330 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Badger Meter by 3,540.4% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 192,031 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $34,293,000 after acquiring an additional 186,756 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its position in Badger Meter by 95.2% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 376,697 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $67,271,000 after acquiring an additional 183,755 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 108.2% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 342,099 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $83,797,000 after acquiring an additional 177,781 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BMI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Barclays set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research raised Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $155.86.

Badger Meter Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:BMI opened at $121.52 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $3.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.90. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $112.09 and a twelve month high of $256.08. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $165.32.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 18.76%. The firm had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,634 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.01, for a total transaction of $243,482.34. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $485,176.56. The trade was a 33.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Robert Wrocklage purchased 1,650 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $152.35 per share, with a total value of $251,377.50. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 19,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,977,071.35. This trade represents a 9.22% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders bought 11,578 shares of company stock valued at $1,531,492 and sold 3,989 shares valued at $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Badger Meter

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.