Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Shares Acquired by Swedbank AB

Swedbank AB grew its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 8.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,544 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 671 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $1,866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BMI. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 86.0% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 8,566 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,385,000 after purchasing an additional 3,961 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 1.8% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 62,769 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $10,157,000 after buying an additional 1,102 shares in the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the first quarter valued at approximately $327,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 1.2% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 40,041 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $6,478,000 after buying an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 228.2% in the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,590 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after buying an additional 5,973 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

BMI opened at $216.46 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $215.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $202.41. The company has a market cap of $6.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.71, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.78. Badger Meter, Inc. has a one year low of $139.50 and a one year high of $230.76.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.03). Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.80% and a return on equity of 21.56%. The company had revenue of $208.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $212.08 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Maxim Group lifted their price target on Badger Meter from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com downgraded Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Badger Meter from $189.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $214.75.

About Badger Meter

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.