Trillium Asset Management LLC Sells 545 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Trillium Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 2.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,084 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 545 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $4,675,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BMI. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in Badger Meter by 83.0% in the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 194 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in Badger Meter in the first quarter valued at $37,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its position in Badger Meter by 170.5% in the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Badger Meter in the first quarter valued at $67,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Badger Meter in the second quarter valued at $80,000. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

NYSE BMI opened at $186.21 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $179.95 and a 200-day moving average of $208.79. The stock has a market cap of $5.49 billion, a PE ratio of 39.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.94. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52-week low of $162.17 and a 52-week high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $235.65 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $231.88 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 21.12%. Badger Meter’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is a boost from Badger Meter’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is 34.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BMI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $229.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Zacks Research raised shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.33.

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.