Bank of Montreal Can Increases Stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 36.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,723 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 3,924 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $3,123,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 2,457.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 179 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Badger Meter Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE BMI opened at $185.82 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.93, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.84. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $151.50 and a twelve month high of $239.11. The company has a 50 day moving average of $199.69 and a 200 day moving average of $210.64.

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

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is presently 32.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BMI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Maxim Group raised their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, March 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $225.20.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst sold 16,073 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total value of $3,371,151.02. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 34,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,332,720.14. This trade represents a 31.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total transaction of $240,571.78. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,064,640.24. The trade was a 18.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,949 shares of company stock worth $4,398,407 over the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.