Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Lowered to Hold Rating by Maxim Group

Key Points

• Maxim Group downgraded Badger Meter from "buy" to "hold" and several brokers have cut price targets, leaving the consensus rating at Hold with an average price target of $166.38.
• Badger missed Q1 estimates (EPS $1.14; revenue $220.7M), which drove analyst downgrades and left the stock trading around $122.97 versus a one‑year high of $256.08, making the earnings miss the primary near‑term negative catalyst.
• Senior insiders including CEO Kenneth Bockhorst purchased shares (CEO bought 2,200 at ~$117.53) signaling confidence, but investor‑loss litigation and trimmed forecasts introduce headline and downside risk.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Maxim Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports.

BMI has been the topic of several other reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Argus downgraded Badger Meter from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Badger Meter from $197.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $166.38.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Shares of Badger Meter stock opened at $122.97 on Thursday. Badger Meter has a one year low of $112.09 and a one year high of $256.08. The company has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $150.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.23.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 18.76%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Badger Meter will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In related news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst bought 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $117.53 per share, with a total value of $258,566.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 51,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,480.28. This represents a 4.45% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Edward F. Callahan acquired 858 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $116.30 per share, with a total value of $99,785.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president directly owned 1,186 shares in the company, valued at $137,931.80. This represents a 261.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 10,578 shares of company stock valued at $1,409,142 and sold 3,989 shares valued at $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Badger Meter

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth $227,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Badger Meter by 328.0% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,766 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $717,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,334 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $572,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at about $200,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Badger Meter by 11.2% during the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 50,225 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $12,303,000 after buying an additional 5,041 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Badger Meter News

Here are the key news stories impacting Badger Meter this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several senior insiders made sizeable purchases (CEO Kenneth Bockhorst bought 2,200 shares at ~ $117.53; multiple VPs added shares), a signal of management confidence that can support the stock over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company commentary and the Q1 presentation attribute the shortfall mainly to project timing and one‑quarter execution issues, which tempers but does not eliminate investor concerns about the quarter. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Badger missed Q1 estimates (revenue and EPS softer than expected), prompting analysts to revise models downward — the earnings miss is the primary near‑term negative catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple broker notes cut price targets and trimmed forecasts (Barclays reiterated a sell/underweight; RBC, Stifel, Robert W. Baird and others lowered expectations), increasing downside risk from weaker analyst sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor‑loss litigation alerts (Pomerantz LLP and others) introduce legal/headline risk that could prolong selling pressure until matters are resolved. Read More.

Badger Meter Company 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.

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