Two Sigma Advisers LP Takes Position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $318,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Badger Meter by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,841,879 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $814,939,000 after purchasing an additional 44,839 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Badger Meter by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 796,528 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $169,448,000 after buying an additional 17,873 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 500,946 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $106,261,000 after buying an additional 7,719 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at $94,547,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Badger Meter by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 433,169 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $91,884,000 after acquiring an additional 17,060 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Badger Meter stock traded up $1.17 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $248.07. The company had a trading volume of 168,602 shares, compared to its average volume of 211,124. The firm has a market cap of $7.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $220.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $215.27. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1 year low of $162.17 and a 1 year high of $256.08.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.22. The company 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BMI shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $209.00 to $196.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. 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 report on Monday, April 21st. Argus set a $240.00 price target on Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Badger Meter from $218.00 to $216.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" 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.