Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI Shares Sold by Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas

Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas cut its position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 33.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,279 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 4,254 shares during the quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas’ holdings in Badger Meter were worth $1,444,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BMI. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 62.3% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BMI. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Maxim Group downgraded Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $140.00 price target on Badger Meter in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $155.86.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Badger Meter stock opened at $135.67 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $129.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $151.37. The company has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.62, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.68. Badger Meter, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $112.09 and a fifty-two week high of $251.54.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%. On average, analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is currently 36.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Badger Meter news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst acquired 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $117.53 per share, with a total value of $258,566.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,480.28. This trade represents a 4.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Christina M. Tarantino acquired 870 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $113.80 per share, with a total value of $99,006.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $204,953.80. This trade represents a 93.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 6,628 shares of company stock valued at $777,128. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Badger Meter News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Badger Meter this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple firms announced or promoted a class action lawsuit against Badger Meter, increasing concerns about possible legal costs, management distraction, and reputational damage. Pomerantz Article
• Negative Sentiment: The class period and lead-plaintiff deadline reminders keep the litigation in focus, which can weigh on investor sentiment and the shares. Rosen Article
• Negative Sentiment: Additional law-firm notices suggest the lawsuit is gaining attention, reinforcing uncertainty around Badger Meter’s near-term stock performance. Bronstein Article

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.