Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Reduces Stock Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,863 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 145 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $1,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMI. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter worth $10,462,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Badger Meter by 348.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 55,090 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $12,034,000 after purchasing an additional 42,806 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,285,000. Algert Global LLC grew its stake in Badger Meter by 39.3% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 77,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $16,890,000 after purchasing an additional 21,799 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Badger Meter by 6.2% during 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 during the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Badger Meter Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of BMI opened at $217.92 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.87 and a 52 week high of $239.11. The company has a market capitalization of $6.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.52, a PEG ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $215.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $212.73.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is 32.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Maxim Group boosted their price target on 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 boosted their price target on Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Badger Meter has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.75.

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.