Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 838.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 82,073 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 73,323 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC owned approximately 0.28% of Badger Meter worth $17,409,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Badger Meter by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 350,378 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $74,322,000 after acquiring an additional 12,180 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Badger Meter by 68.1% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 33,395 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $7,083,000 after purchasing an additional 13,526 shares in the last quarter. Fortress Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth $369,000. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its stake in Badger Meter by 74.4% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 5,945 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,274,000 after purchasing an additional 2,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perpetual Ltd acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth $10,462,000. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter
In other Badger Meter news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.13, for a total value of $31,395.24. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,051 shares in the company, valued at $2,980,638.63. This trade represents a 1.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total value of $240,571.78. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,064,640.24. This represents a 18.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,949 shares of company stock worth $4,398,407 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.
Badger Meter Price Performance
Shares of NYSE BMI traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $243.71. The company had a trading volume of 158,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 207,870. The company has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a PE ratio of 57.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1-year low of $162.17 and a 1-year high of $249.65. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $208.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $213.09.
Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $222.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $220.39 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.77% and a net margin of 15.12%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.
Badger Meter Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.96%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts have commented on BMI shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Badger Meter from $209.00 to $196.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Argus set a $240.00 price target on Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Badger Meter from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Badger Meter from $218.00 to $216.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Maxim Group upped their price target on Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Badger Meter presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $229.80.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on BMI
Badger Meter Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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