Versor Investments LP Makes New $221,000 Investment in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 903 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in Badger Meter by 170.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Badger Meter by 83.0% during the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 194 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in Badger Meter during the first quarter worth about $37,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter worth about $80,000. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the first quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on BMI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price target on Badger Meter and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings cut Badger Meter from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus raised Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $208.00 to $215.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $229.00 target price on Badger Meter and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $227.33.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Badger Meter stock opened at $186.69 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $162.17 and a fifty-two week high of $256.08. The stock has a market cap of $5.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.72, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $179.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $208.63.

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

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.