HighTower Advisors LLC Has $786,000 Position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI – Get Rating) by 35.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,168 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 1,863 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $786,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Badger Meter by 15.7% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,764 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $575,000 after buying an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 6.1% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 29,408 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,933,000 after purchasing an additional 1,685 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 12.7% during the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 13,216 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,332,000 after purchasing an additional 1,493 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the first quarter worth about $291,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in Badger Meter by 52.8% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 15,489 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,544,000 after purchasing an additional 5,353 shares in the last quarter. 86.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Badger Meter Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE BMI opened at $139.59 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.21 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s 50 day moving average is $129.95 and its 200-day moving average is $120.59. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.20 and a 12-month high of $143.37.

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Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $159.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $142.73 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 12.08% and a return on equity of 16.45%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 2.69 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 26th will be paid a $0.225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 25th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.64%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BMI. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Badger Meter from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $108.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 17th. Maxim Group raised their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $135.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Finally, Argus boosted their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $130.00 to $151.00 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $121.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,620 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.88, for a total value of $195,825.60. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $533,443.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Badger Meter news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 385 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.73, for a total value of $46,096.05. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,863 shares in the company, valued at approximately $342,786.99. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.88, for a total value of $195,825.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $533,443.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Company Profile

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Badger Meter, Inc engages in the provision of flow measurement, control products, and communications solutions that serve water utilities, municipalities, and commercial and industrial customers worldwide. Its products are classified into two categories: Municipal Water and Flow Instrumentation. Municipal water products include water meters and related technologies to municipal water utilities.