UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Lowers Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC decreased its position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 296,694 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 11,420 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 1.01% of Badger Meter worth $62,935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 348.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 55,090 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $12,034,000 after purchasing an additional 42,806 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at about $227,000. apricus wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth about $219,000. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth about $1,838,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Badger Meter from $218.00 to $216.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price 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. Maxim Group increased their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Argus set a $240.00 price objective on Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $229.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total value of $240,571.78. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,076 shares in the company, valued at $1,064,640.24. This trade represents a 18.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 shares of Badger Meter 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 owns 14,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,980,638.63. This trade represents a 1.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,949 shares of company stock worth $4,398,407 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Badger Meter Stock Down 1.5%

BMI traded down $3.81 on Wednesday, hitting $246.00. The company had a trading volume of 215,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 207,824. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $211.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $213.64. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $162.17 and a 12-month high of $250.68. The company has a market cap of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of 58.16, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $222.21 million during 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 previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

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

About Badger Meter

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.