KLCM Advisors Inc. Invests $304,000 in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Key Points

• KLCM Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Badger Meter, Inc. by purchasing 1,600 shares valued at approximately $304,000 during the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in Badger Meter, with AGF Management Ltd. leading with a 136.2% increase, now holding over 54,000 shares.
• Badger Meter recently boosted its quarterly dividend to $0.40 per share, up from $0.34, reflecting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

KLCM Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,600 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $304,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BMI. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth about $227,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 60,036 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $12,735,000 after acquiring an additional 6,000 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 36.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 14,723 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $3,123,000 after acquiring an additional 3,924 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $376,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth about $20,586,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Badger Meter Price Performance

BMI stock traded up $0.2050 on Tuesday, reaching $186.9050. The company's stock had a trading volume of 45,864 shares, compared to its average volume of 276,238. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $162.17 and a 52 week high of $256.08. The company has a market capitalization of $5.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $221.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $216.75.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $238.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $235.38 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 15.53%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. This is an increase from Badger Meter's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio is 29.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on BMI. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Badger Meter in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Badger Meter from $284.00 to $264.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Argus set a $240.00 target price on Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Badger Meter from $216.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $224.00 target price on Badger Meter in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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.