Semanteon Capital Management LP Makes New $1.20 Million Investment in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Semanteon Capital Management LP bought a new position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 7,745 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,196,000. Badger Meter accounts for approximately 0.8% of Semanteon Capital Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 33.3% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 532 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Badger Meter Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BMI traded up $0.84 during trading on Thursday, reaching $183.98. The stock had a trading volume of 246,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 188,386. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $128.93 and a 52 week high of $187.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $151.94.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.17. Badger Meter had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The company had revenue of $196.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $182.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 3.89 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. Badger Meter's payout ratio is currently 31.12%.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In related 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 transaction of $195,992.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $355,328.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 1,416 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.23, for a total value of $221,221.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 13,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,096,919.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total transaction of $195,992.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $355,328.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,813 shares of company stock worth $448,167 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.

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