Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Short Interest Update

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,220,000 shares, a growth of 7.0% from the April 15th total of 1,140,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 184,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.6 days.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Badger Meter stock traded up $0.34 during trading on Thursday, reaching $196.32. The company had a trading volume of 185,278 shares, compared to its average volume of 191,588. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $170.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.77 billion, a PE ratio of 56.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.82. Badger Meter has a 1-year low of $134.06 and a 1-year high of $199.40.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $196.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $182.25 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Badger Meter will post 3.89 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th will be given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on BMI. Northcoast Research raised Badger Meter from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $147.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Maxim Group increased their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $151.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $164.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Badger Meter news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total transaction of $195,992.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,181 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $355,328.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total value of $195,992.76. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,181 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $355,328.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 194 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.55, for a total transaction of $30,952.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 13,672 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,181,367.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,813 shares of company stock valued at $448,167 over the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BMI. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 1.2% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 40,041 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $6,478,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 1st quarter worth $327,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 62,769 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $10,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,102 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 86.0% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 8,566 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,385,000 after acquiring an additional 3,961 shares during the period. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 1st quarter valued at about $644,000. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.