Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Purchases 6,002 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 12.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 55,988 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 6,002 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $9,765,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 62.3% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at about $49,000. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Badger Meter news, VP Richard Htwe purchased 1,700 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $116.13 per share, with a total value of $197,421.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 7,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $882,936.39. This represents a 28.80% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Edward F. Callahan purchased 858 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $116.30 per share, with a total value of $99,785.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,186 shares in the company, valued at $137,931.80. The trade was a 261.59% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 6,628 shares of company stock worth $777,128 and sold 3,989 shares worth $596,002. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Down 1.4%

BMI stock opened at $115.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $141.45 and a 200 day moving average of $161.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.36 billion, a PE ratio of 25.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.68. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $112.09 and a 52 week high of $256.08.

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

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays set a $110.00 price target on shares of Badger Meter and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Badger Meter from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $155.86.

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.