Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI Shares Bought by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 2.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 180,576 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,078 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $27,511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 46.9% during the 1st quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,019 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,374,000 after buying an additional 2,880 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Badger Meter by 9,963.5% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 20,429 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,112,000 after acquiring an additional 20,226 shares during the period. Farrow Financial Inc. grew its stake in Badger Meter by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Farrow Financial Inc. now owns 16,532 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,519,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS purchased a new stake in Badger Meter in the 1st quarter worth $1,447,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Badger Meter by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,782,000 after acquiring an additional 749 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research raised shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Badger Meter from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $155.71.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

NYSE BMI opened at $149.27 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $132.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.22. The company has a market cap of $4.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.64. Badger Meter, Inc. has a one year low of $112.09 and a one year high of $249.56.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 18.76%. The company had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is presently 36.12%.

Key Stories Impacting Badger Meter

Here are the key news stories impacting Badger Meter this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms reminded investors about a pending securities class action against Badger Meter, with a lead plaintiff deadline of August 3, 2026, increasing attention on litigation risk and potential downside for the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The class action alleges investor harm during the April 18, 2024 to April 16, 2026 period, suggesting concerns about possible securities fraud claims and adding uncertainty for shareholders. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Additional notices from other firms, including Rosen, Pomerantz, Berger Montague, and others, reinforced the same litigation overhang and kept Badger Meter in the news for legal rather than business reasons. Article Title

Badger Meter 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.