Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Hits New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $150.00 and last traded at $147.52, with a volume of 5404 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $164.41.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BMI. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Badger Meter in a research note on Friday, December 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $220.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $208.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $240.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $229.00 price objective on Badger Meter and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Badger Meter has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.25.

Badger Meter Stock Down 8.5%

The firm has a market cap of $4.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.31, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $176.31 and a 200-day moving average of $183.13.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.14. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 21.12%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.04 EPS. Badger Meter’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.04%.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 3.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,960,308 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $707,232,000 after purchasing an additional 145,389 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Badger Meter by 1.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,462,807 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $358,315,000 after acquiring an additional 20,122 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 970,219 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $173,262,000 after purchasing an additional 168,053 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Badger Meter by 2.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 876,519 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $215,464,000 after buying an additional 19,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 78.1% during the 2nd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 612,809 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $150,108,000 after acquiring an additional 268,799 shares during the period. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Badger Meter Company Profile

Badger Meter, founded in 1905 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a global leader in flow measurement and control solutions. The company’s core business centers on the design, manufacture and sale of water meters, control valves and related accessories for municipal and industrial water utilities. Over its more than a century of operation, Badger Meter has built a reputation for precision engineering, durability and compliance with international regulatory standards.

The company’s product portfolio includes mechanical and ultrasonic water meters, electromagnetic flow meters for industrial applications, and a range of control valves that help utilities manage pressure and flow in distribution networks.