Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Shares Sold by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. lessened its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,824 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,299 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $7,929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMI. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Badger Meter by 2,457.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 179 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 261.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 597 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Badger Meter Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of BMI opened at $189.86 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $151.18 and a twelve month high of $239.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.88, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $208.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $213.62.

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

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BMI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Maxim Group increased their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Badger Meter in a report on Thursday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Badger Meter has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $225.20.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In related news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst sold 1,165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.13, for a total value of $247,131.45. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 52,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,162,280.60. This represents a 2.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.13, for a total value of $31,395.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,980,638.63. The trade was a 1.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Company 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.