Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have reached a consensus recommendation of "Hold" for Badger Meter, with three analysts suggesting to hold and two recommending a buy.
• Badger Meter's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $1.17, which was below expectations of $1.19, despite revenue exceeding predictions.
• The company has announced a dividend increase from $0.34 to $0.40 per share, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $238.40.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BMI shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $216.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $224.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $284.00 to $264.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd.

Badger Meter Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of Badger Meter stock traded down $3.80 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $182.69. The stock had a trading volume of 412,986 shares, compared to its average volume of 303,552. The stock's 50 day moving average is $211.29 and its 200 day moving average is $214.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.38 billion, a PE ratio of 39.80, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.88. Badger Meter has a twelve month low of $162.17 and a twelve month high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $238.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $235.38 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 15.53%.The company's revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.12 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Badger Meter will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Badger Meter's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Badger Meter's payout ratio is currently 34.86%.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Values First Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 8,739 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,663,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 8,649 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,119,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Norway Savings Bank boosted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Norway Savings Bank now owns 2,775 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $680,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 1,296 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Choreo LLC lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,361 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

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.