Analysts Set Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Price Target at $216.00

Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $216.00.

Several brokerages have recently commented on BMI. Maxim Group boosted their price target on Badger Meter from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Badger Meter from $203.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th.

Badger Meter Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE:BMI opened at $213.78 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $218.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $209.29. The stock has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a PE ratio of 53.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.79. Badger Meter has a fifty-two week low of $139.50 and a fifty-two week high of $239.11.

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

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is currently 33.75%.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BMI. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 338,198 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $73,866,000 after purchasing an additional 19,848 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 0.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 331,769 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $72,462,000 after buying an additional 2,515 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 2.8% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 295,027 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $64,437,000 after buying an additional 7,967 shares during the period. Driehaus Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Badger Meter by 66.4% during the second quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 128,651 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $23,974,000 after acquiring an additional 51,318 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Badger Meter by 47.1% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 126,100 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $23,499,000 after acquiring an additional 40,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

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.