Insider Selling: Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) VP Sells $31,395.24 in Stock

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.13, for a total transaction of $31,395.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,980,638.63. This trade represents a 1.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Shares of Badger Meter stock opened at $209.18 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $213.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $213.81. The firm has a market cap of $6.15 billion, a PE ratio of 49.45, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.78. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1 year low of $150.87 and a 1 year high of $239.11.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 21.77%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BMI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Maxim Group increased their price objective on Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Badger Meter has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.75.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Badger Meter

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,547,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 5,897.0% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 235,322 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $49,917,000 after purchasing an additional 231,398 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 184.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 256,217 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $54,350,000 after purchasing an additional 166,191 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at $20,586,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Badger Meter by 111.1% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 182,382 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,687,000 after purchasing an additional 95,966 shares during the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.