Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Stock Has Average Price Target of $165.88 According to Brokerages

Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $166.33.

Several research firms have recently commented on BMI. Northcoast Research lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $111.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Argus upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Friday, October 23rd.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Shares of Badger Meter stock opened at $143.73 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $131.93 and a 200 day moving average of $139.34. Badger Meter has a 12 month low of $112.09 and a 12 month high of $192.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.64.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $230.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $240.35 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.36% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter will post 4.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 28th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This is an increase from Badger Meter’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 28th. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.65%.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Dunhill Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at about $43,000. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Badger Meter Company Profile

Badger Meter, Inc is a water technology company that develops and manufactures flow measurement, control and communications solutions. Its products are used to measure and manage water across municipal, commercial and industrial applications, helping customers improve operational efficiency, monitor usage and support water conservation.

The company’s offerings include mechanical, ultrasonic and electromagnetic flow meters; valves and related flow-control equipment; and smart water technologies.