Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Acquires 212,448 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management increased its stake in Badger Meter by 39.2%, buying 212,448 shares to hold 754,402 shares (a 2.56% stake) valued at about $131.6 million.
• Several other large institutions — including Vanguard, State Street, Invesco, UBS and Boston Trust — also added to positions, leaving institutional ownership at roughly 89.01%, signaling strong institutional interest.
• Analysts' consensus is a "Hold" with a $155.86 average target while the stock trades near $122.99; the company also declared a $0.40 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.60, ~1.3% yield).

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 39.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 754,402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 212,448 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned 2.56% of Badger Meter worth $131,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Badger Meter by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,979,893 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $694,133,000 after acquiring an additional 19,585 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Badger Meter by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,462,807 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $358,315,000 after buying an additional 20,122 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Badger Meter by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 970,219 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $173,262,000 after buying an additional 168,053 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its stake in Badger Meter by 89.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 712,650 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $124,293,000 after buying an additional 335,953 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake in Badger Meter by 53.8% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 507,692 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $88,547,000 after buying an additional 177,653 shares during the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In related news, VP Richard Htwe purchased 1,700 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $116.13 per share, with a total value of $197,421.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 7,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $882,936.39. This trade represents a 28.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Christina M. Tarantino purchased 870 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $113.80 per share, with a total value of $99,006.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president owned 1,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $204,953.80. This trade represents a 93.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 11,578 shares of company stock worth $1,531,492 and sold 3,989 shares worth $596,002. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BMI shares. Argus lowered shares of Badger Meter from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays set a $110.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $197.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Maxim Group lowered shares of Badger Meter from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $155.86.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Shares of Badger Meter stock opened at $122.99 on Tuesday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $112.09 and a fifty-two week high of $256.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $148.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $164.97. The company has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.90.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 18.76%. The firm had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. Analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio is 36.12%.

Badger Meter Company 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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