Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI Shares Sold by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank cut its stake in Badger Meter by 24.4% in Q4, selling 20,512 shares and now holds 63,622 shares (about 0.22% of the company) valued at roughly $11.1 million.
• Insiders were net buyers recently: two VPs purchased 1,700 and 870 shares on April 21, and insiders bought 11,578 shares while selling 3,989 over the past three months, increasing insider ownership to about 1.0%.
• Badger Meter trades around $123 (50-day MA $149.62, 200-day MA $165.93) with a $3.59B market cap and a $0.40 quarterly dividend (1.3% yield); MarketBeat shows a consensus "Hold" rating and a $155.86 average price target.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank reduced its position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 24.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,622 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 20,512 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.22% of Badger Meter worth $11,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 17,310 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,019,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. River Street Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 5,385 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $939,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 110.4% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $197,000 after buying an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. LBP AM SA grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 104.4% during the 4th quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 77,078 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $13,443,000 after buying an additional 39,365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 22.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 486 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Badger Meter Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of BMI opened at $123.07 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $149.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 27.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52-week low of $112.09 and a 52-week high of $256.08.

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

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio is 36.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on BMI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced 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. Barclays set a $110.00 price objective on Badger Meter and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Badger Meter from $174.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $155.86.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Richard Htwe bought 1,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $116.13 per share, for a total transaction of $197,421.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 7,603 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $882,936.39. This trade represents a 28.80% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christina M. Tarantino bought 870 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $113.80 per share, with a total value of $99,006.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,801 shares of the company's stock, valued at $204,953.80. This trade represents a 93.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders acquired 11,578 shares of company stock valued at $1,531,492 and sold 3,989 shares valued at $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Badger Meter 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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