Insider Buying: Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) VP Buys 1,700 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider buying: VP Richard Htwe bought 1,700 shares on April 21 at about $116.13, raising his stake to 7,603 shares (a 28.8% increase), and the CEO plus other VPs also made purchases, signaling management confidence in the stock.
• Despite the insider purchases, Badger Meter reported a near‑term earnings shortfall that prompted analysts to cut forecasts and price targets, creating downward pressure on the share price.
• Investor‑loss litigation alerts are active, introducing legal headline risk that could amplify volatility, even as high institutional ownership (≈89%) and a modest dividend (≈1.3% yield) offer some stability.

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) VP Richard Htwe purchased 1,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $116.13 per share, with a total value of $197,421.00. Following the purchase, the vice president owned 7,603 shares in the company, valued at $882,936.39. This represents a 28.80% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Badger Meter Price Performance

BMI traded up $1.62 on Wednesday, hitting $122.51. The company had a trading volume of 536,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 493,357. The stock has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. The company's fifty day moving average price is $151.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $166.53. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1-year low of $112.09 and a 1-year high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 18.76%. The company had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Argus downgraded Badger Meter from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $174.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research raised shares of Badger Meter from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $197.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $166.38.

Key Stories Impacting Badger Meter

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

• Positive Sentiment: Senior insiders made sizeable purchases on April 21 (CEO Kenneth Bockhorst 2,200 shares at ~$117.53; multiple VPs also bought hundreds–1,700 shares), a strong signal of management confidence and a near‑term positive catalyst for sentiment. SEC Filing - CEO Purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Aggregate insider activity shows meaningful increases in executive stakes (several VPs increased holdings), reinforcing the view that management expects value at current levels. SEC Filing - VP Tarantino
• Neutral Sentiment: Badger reported Q1 results showing adjusted EPS of $0.93 and revenue ~$202.3M; management says the shortfall was driven mainly by project timing — relevant for near‑term guidance but not necessarily a structural change. Earnings Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Badger pays a modest dividend and institutions remain large holders ( Vanguard, State Street, Invesco ), which can provide stability even amid headline volatility. MarketBeat - Holdings & Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: The Q1 miss prompted analysts to lower models and price targets (reports from RBC, Stifel, Robert W. Baird and others), creating downward pressure as expectations are reset. Benzinga: Analysts Slash Forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Investor‑loss litigation alerts (Pomerantz LLP and others) are active, introducing legal headline risk that can amplify volatility and weigh on sentiment while investigations proceed. GlobeNewswire: Pomerantz Investigation

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BMI. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Badger Meter by 328.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,766 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $717,000 after acquiring an additional 2,886 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Badger Meter by 10.6% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,334 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $572,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp acquired a new position in Badger Meter in the second quarter worth about $200,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its position in Badger Meter by 11.2% in the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 50,225 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $12,303,000 after purchasing an additional 5,041 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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