Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Purchases 71,195 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Key Points

• Rockefeller Capital Management increased its stake in Badger Meter by 50.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 71,195 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 212,285 shares worth about $37.0 million.
• Other institutions and insiders were also buying: institutional ownership stands at 89.01%, and Badger Meter executives Edward F. Callahan and Richard Htwe both made notable share purchases in April.
• Analysts are mixed on the stock, with the consensus rating at Hold and an average price target of $155.86, while recent updates included target cuts from several firms.

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 50.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 212,285 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 71,195 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. owned about 0.73% of Badger Meter worth $37,025,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 24,934 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $4,399,000 after acquiring an additional 7,259 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Badger Meter by 212.9% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Clearwave Capital LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at about $271,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth about $438,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Badger Meter by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,925 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,559,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Badger Meter news, VP Edward F. Callahan purchased 858 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $116.30 per share, with a total value of $99,785.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 1,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $137,931.80. This represents a 261.59% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard Htwe purchased 1,700 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $116.13 per share, for a total transaction of $197,421.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 7,603 shares in the company, valued at $882,936.39. This represents a 28.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 6,628 shares of company stock valued at $777,128. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings cut Badger Meter from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $140.00 price target on Badger Meter in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research cut Badger Meter from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $155.86.

Badger Meter Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE BMI opened at $135.34 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.55, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $127.91 and a 200-day moving average of $150.50. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1-year low of $112.09 and a 1-year high of $251.54.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 18.76%. On average, analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Badger Meter's payout ratio is presently 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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