Insider Buying: Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) EVP Acquires 1,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Robert Wrocklage, EVP, purchased 1,000 shares on April 23 at $122.35 each, spending $122,350 and raising his direct stake to 23,321 shares (about $2.85M), a 4.48% increase in his ownership.
• Other senior insiders including CEO Kenneth Bockhorst (2,200 shares) and several VPs also bought stock recently, a sign of management confidence that could act as a near‑term supportive catalyst.
• However, Badger Meter’s Q1 results missed expectations, analysts have trimmed targets and investor‑loss litigation has been announced, creating near‑term downside risk while the stock trades near $123.

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) EVP Robert Wrocklage acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $122.35 per share, for a total transaction of $122,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,321 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,853,324.35. This represents a 4.48% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Robert Wrocklage also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, February 9th, Robert Wrocklage acquired 1,650 shares of Badger Meter stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $152.35 per share, for a total transaction of $251,377.50.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Shares of Badger Meter stock traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $123.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 727,212 shares, compared to its average volume of 505,550. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $150.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $166.23. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $112.09 and a 12-month high of $256.08. The company has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 27.78, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.90.

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 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Badger Meter's payout ratio is currently 36.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on BMI shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Barclays set a $110.00 target price on Badger Meter and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $167.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $166.38.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BMI. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 62.3% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

More Badger Meter News

Here are the key news stories impacting Badger Meter this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Heavy insider buying by senior management — CEO Kenneth Bockhorst purchased 2,200 shares (~$117.53 avg) and several VPs (Richard Htwe, Christina Tarantino, Edward Callahan) also added stock. These purchases signal management confidence and can be a near‑term supportive catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company’s Q1 presentation and management commentary attribute the shortfall mainly to project timing and one‑quarter execution issues — provides context that may limit long‑term concern but doesn’t remove near‑term uncertainty. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 results missed expectations and analysts have trimmed estimates and models — the earnings miss is the primary driver of downward revisions and immediate selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple broker moves: Barclays reaffirmed a sell/underweight (low target), and firms including RBC, Stifel and Robert W. Baird cut forecasts or price targets — weaker analyst sentiment increases downside risk. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor‑loss litigation alerts (Pomerantz and others) have been announced, introducing legal headline risk and potential settlement/defense costs that can pressure sentiment until resolved. Read More.

About Badger Meter

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.