Marshall Wace LLP Decreases Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Marshall Wace LLP trimmed its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 79.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,691 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 17,783 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in Badger Meter were worth $995,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 162.5% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 147 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 2,457.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 179 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BMI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Badger Meter from $218.00 to $216.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Badger Meter from $209.00 to $196.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective 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. Argus set a $240.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Maxim Group boosted their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three investment 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, Badger Meter currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $229.80.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In other news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst sold 16,073 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total value of $3,371,151.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 34,961 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,332,720.14. This trade represents a 31.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,638.63. The trade was a 1.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407 in the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Badger Meter Price Performance

NYSE:BMI traded down $3.93 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $224.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 206,813 shares, compared to its average volume of 204,195. The company has a market capitalization of $6.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.11, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $162.17 and a twelve month high of $239.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $199.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.87.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last released 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.22. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 21.77%. The business had revenue of $222.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $220.39 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Badger Meter's payout ratio is 29.96%.

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.