Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Buys 1,174 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 30,263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,174 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $6,610,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Badger Meter by 1,016.7% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 201 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 2,633.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 492 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 499 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in Badger Meter by 40.9% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 575 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the third quarter worth approximately $204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on BMI. Maxim Group increased their price target on Badger Meter from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $204.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Badger Meter from $189.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $214.75.

Badger Meter Price Performance

NYSE:BMI opened at $226.89 on Tuesday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a one year low of $139.50 and a one year high of $230.76. The company has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a PE ratio of 56.30, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $211.16 and a 200-day moving average of $199.88.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $208.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $212.08 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.56% and a net margin of 14.80%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is 33.75%.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In related news, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.00, for a total transaction of $224,885.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $791,505. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

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.