Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI Shares Acquired by Jane Street Group LLC

Key Points

• Jane Street Group LLC significantly increased its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. by 1,451.3% during the first quarter, holding 134,715 shares valued at approximately $25.63 million.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.34 to $0.40 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $1.60 and a yield of 0.9%.
• Despite reporting a revenue increase of 9.9% year-over-year, Badger Meter's earnings per share fell short of analysts' expectations, with an EPS of $1.17 compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19.

Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 1,451.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 134,715 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 126,031 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC owned approximately 0.46% of Badger Meter worth $25,630,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Badger Meter by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 184 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Badger Meter by 83.0% in the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 194 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Badger Meter Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:BMI traded down $2.35 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $180.58. 158,696 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 279,300. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $210.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $214.60. Badger Meter, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $162.17 and a fifty-two week high of $256.08. The company has a market capitalization of $5.32 billion, a PE ratio of 39.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.88.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.02). Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 15.53%.The company had revenue of $238.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $235.38 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. Badger Meter's revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. This is an increase from Badger Meter's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BMI shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $216.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $284.00 to $264.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $224.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.40.

Badger Meter Profile

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.