Swiss National Bank Sells 400 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 57,400 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.20% of Badger Meter worth $12,537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,622,000. Driehaus Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 66.4% in the second quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 128,651 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $23,974,000 after purchasing an additional 51,318 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Badger Meter by 86.2% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 100,788 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $18,782,000 after purchasing an additional 46,650 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 47.1% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 126,100 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $23,499,000 after buying an additional 40,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Badger Meter by 80.3% during the second quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 78,914 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $14,706,000 after buying an additional 35,150 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Badger Meter Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE BMI opened at $221.00 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1-year low of $139.50 and a 1-year high of $230.76. The company has a 50 day moving average of $215.34 and a 200-day moving average of $201.99. The firm has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.84, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.78.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $208.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.08 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.80% and a return on equity of 21.56%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.88 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Maxim Group raised their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Badger Meter from $189.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $214.75.

Badger Meter Company 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.