Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Shares Sold by Values First Advisors Inc.

Values First Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,686 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 335 shares during the quarter. Badger Meter makes up about 1.0% of Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $1,842,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth approximately $10,462,000. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 348.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 55,090 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $12,034,000 after acquiring an additional 42,806 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the third quarter valued at $5,285,000. Algert Global LLC raised its stake in Badger Meter by 39.3% in the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 77,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $16,890,000 after buying an additional 21,799 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Badger Meter by 6.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 338,198 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $73,866,000 after buying an additional 19,848 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Badger Meter Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of BMI opened at $216.43 on Wednesday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $147.96 and a twelve month high of $239.11. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $217.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $212.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.37 billion, a PE ratio of 51.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.78.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 21.77%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BMI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Maxim Group lifted their price objective on Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.75.

Badger Meter Profile

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.