Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Stock Rated "Hold" by Sell-Side Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts rate Badger Meter “Hold” overall: Six analysts recommend buying, five recommend holding, and one recommends selling. The average 12-month price target is $165.88, with recent targets ranging from $148 to $187.
• Quarterly results modestly beat expectations: Badger Meter reported EPS of $1.24 versus the $1.23 consensus estimate, while revenue of $230.3 million fell short of the $240.35 million estimate. Operating earnings increased 4% year over year, and the operating margin improved to 20.2%.
• The company raised its dividend: The quarterly payout increased from $0.40 to $0.44 per share, equivalent to $1.76 annually and a 1.2% yield. Institutional investors own approximately 89% of the stock.

Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $165.88.

BMI has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Badger Meter from $172.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Northcoast Research upgraded Badger Meter from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $148.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $168.00 price objective on Badger Meter in a research note on Friday. Seaport Research Partners reissued a "buy" rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $187.00 price objective (up from $162.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Friday.

Badger Meter Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE BMI opened at $150.98 on Monday. The company's 50 day moving average is $130.63 and its 200-day moving average is $132.30. Badger Meter has a 12-month low of $112.09 and a 12-month high of $192.28. The firm has a market cap of $4.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.64.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $230.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $240.35 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.36% and a return on equity of 18.49%. Badger Meter's revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Badger Meter will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 28th were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 28th. This is a positive change from Badger Meter's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Badger Meter's payout ratio is currently 40.65%.

Key Stories Impacting Badger Meter

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

• Positive Sentiment: Badger Meter reported third-quarter EPS of $1.24, above the $1.23 consensus estimate and up from $1.19 a year earlier. Operating earnings rose 4% year over year, while operating margin improved to 20.2% from 19.6%. Badger Meter Reports Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Base sales increased 5% sequentially, base gross margin reached 42.1%, and software-related growth helped offset broadly flat overall sales. Management said it expects to sustain the growth momentum into 2027. Badger Meter: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst reactions were generally supportive after the earnings release. Stifel raised its price target to $168, providing a more constructive near-term valuation benchmark. Badger Meter Analysts Boost Their Forecasts Following Upbeat Q3 Earnings

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Edward Callahan acquired 751 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $101,572.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,937 shares of the company's stock, valued at $261,979.25. The trade was a 63.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Dunhill Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter worth $28,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter worth $29,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

About Badger Meter

Badger Meter, Inc is a water technology company that develops and manufactures flow measurement, control and communications solutions. Its products are used to measure and manage water across municipal, commercial and industrial applications, helping customers improve operational efficiency, monitor usage and support water conservation.

The company's offerings include mechanical, ultrasonic and electromagnetic flow meters; valves and related flow-control equipment; and smart water technologies.

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