Insider Selling: Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) VP Sells $309,600.00 in Stock

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) VP Fred Begale sold 2,064 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $309,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $456,000. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BMI opened at $148.79 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.14 and a 52-week high of $256.08. The company has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.79.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $232.30 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 20.71% and a net margin of 15.45%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $167.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays set a $136.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Argus cut shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $181.88.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 41.1% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 24,934 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $4,399,000 after buying an additional 7,259 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 212.9% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Clearwave Capital LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $271,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $438,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Badger Meter by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,925 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,559,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

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.