Robeco Schweiz AG Acquires 65,624 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Key Points

• Robeco Schweiz AG increased its stake in Badger Meter by 89.2% in Q4, buying 65,624 shares to hold 139,222 shares (about 0.47% of the company) valued at roughly $24.28 million.
• Company insiders boosted their positions on April 21 — VP Edward F. Callahan bought 858 shares at $116.30 and VP Richard Htwe bought 1,700 shares at ~$116.13 — part of insider net purchases of 11,578 shares in the last 90 days; insiders now own about 1.0% of the stock.
• Badger Meter declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 (annualized $1.60, ~1.3% yield) payable June 5 with an ex-dividend date of May 22, while the stock trades around $124 with an average analyst rating of "Hold" (average target $155.86).

Robeco Schweiz AG lifted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 89.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 139,222 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 65,624 shares during the period. Robeco Schweiz AG owned about 0.47% of Badger Meter worth $24,282,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 62.3% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In related news, VP Edward F. Callahan bought 858 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $116.30 per share, with a total value of $99,785.40. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $137,931.80. This trade represents a 261.59% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Htwe bought 1,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $116.13 per share, with a total value of $197,421.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 7,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $882,936.39. This trade represents a 28.80% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders bought 11,578 shares of company stock worth $1,531,492 and sold 3,989 shares worth $596,002. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Badger Meter Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of BMI opened at $124.24 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.04, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $144.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $162.96. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $112.09 and a twelve month high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $167.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays set a $110.00 price target on shares of Badger Meter and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Argus cut shares of Badger Meter from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $155.86.

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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