Palisades Investment Partners LLC Acquires 2,868 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Palisades Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,951 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,868 shares during the period. Badger Meter comprises 3.0% of Palisades Investment Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Palisades Investment Partners LLC owned about 0.12% of Badger Meter worth $7,202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 162.5% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 147 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in Badger Meter by 2,457.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 179 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.13, for a total transaction of $31,395.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,980,638.63. This trade represents a 1.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst sold 16,073 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total value of $3,371,151.02. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 34,961 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,332,720.14. This trade represents a 31.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 20,949 shares of company stock worth $4,398,407. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Badger Meter Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of BMI traded up $5.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $248.69. The stock had a trading volume of 48,933 shares, compared to its average volume of 207,242. The company's 50-day moving average is $209.47 and its 200 day moving average is $213.16. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $162.17 and a 12-month high of $249.65. The company has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.22. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.77% and a net margin of 15.12%. The firm had revenue of $222.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $220.39 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Badger Meter's payout ratio is 29.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus set a $240.00 price objective on Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Badger Meter from $218.00 to $216.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Badger Meter from $209.00 to $196.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Maxim Group lifted their price target on Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Badger Meter from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $229.80.

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.