Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI Shares Purchased by UBS Group AG

Key Points

• UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 89.2% during Q4 to 712,650 shares, now owning 2.42% of the company valued at about $124.3 million.
• Company insiders increased their holdings—CEO Kenneth Bockhorst bought 3,300 shares (now owns 40,013) and VP Richard Htwe bought 1,700 shares—with insiders net acquiring 11,578 shares versus selling 3,989 in the last quarter.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of Hold with an average target of $155.86, and the company announced a $0.40 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.60, ~1.3% yield) with an ex-dividend date of May 22.

UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 89.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 712,650 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 335,953 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned 2.42% of Badger Meter worth $124,293,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in Badger Meter by 62.3% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Badger Meter news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst bought 3,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $152.42 per share, with a total value of $502,986.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,098,781.46. This represents a 8.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Htwe bought 1,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $116.13 per share, for a total transaction of $197,421.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president owned 7,603 shares in the company, valued at $882,936.39. This trade represents a 28.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 11,578 shares of company stock worth $1,531,492 and have sold 3,989 shares worth $596,002. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BMI shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Badger Meter from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday. Argus lowered Badger Meter from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $155.86.

Badger Meter Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE BMI opened at $121.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.56 billion, a PE ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.68. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $112.09 and a twelve month high of $256.08. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $163.96.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%.The business had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. Research analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.12%.

About Badger Meter

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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