UBS Group AG Increases Stake in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 89.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 712,650 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 335,953 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $124,293,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,979,893 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $694,133,000 after buying an additional 19,585 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at about $294,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 31,434 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $5,482,000 after buying an additional 2,776 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 53.8% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 507,692 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $88,547,000 after buying an additional 177,653 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Richard Htwe purchased 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $116.13 per share, for a total transaction of $197,421.00. Following the purchase, the vice president directly 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,634 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.01, for a total value of $243,482.34. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,256 shares in the company, valued at $485,176.56. This represents a 33.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 11,578 shares of company stock worth $1,531,492 and have sold 3,989 shares worth $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Badger Meter Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:BMI opened at $121.92 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $145.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $163.96. The company has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a PE ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 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 quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. 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 (DPR) is currently 36.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on BMI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Argus cut Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Maxim Group lowered Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Badger Meter from $174.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $155.86.

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.