Granite Investment Partners LLC Acquires New Stake in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Granite Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 61,060 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,303,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth $227,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 328.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,766 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $717,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,334 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $572,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 11.2% in the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 50,225 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $12,303,000 after acquiring an additional 5,041 shares during the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays set a $110.00 target price on Badger Meter and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Friday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Badger Meter has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $155.86.

Badger Meter Price Performance

BMI opened at $144.50 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $129.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.03. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12 month low of $112.09 and a 12 month high of $249.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.62, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.64.

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

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is currently 36.12%.

Badger Meter News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded Badger Meter from “strong sell” to “hold,” which may help stabilize sentiment after recent weakness. Zacks upgrade coverage
• Positive Sentiment: A Yahoo Finance article highlighted “3 Reasons BMI Has Explosive Upside Potential,” reinforcing a more optimistic long-term view for the stock. Yahoo Finance article
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple law firms, including Rosen, Berger Montague, Pomerantz, Faruqi & Faruqi, Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter, Bronstein Gewirtz & Grossman, and Bernstein Liebhard, announced or promoted a securities class action tied to purchases between April 18, 2024 and April 16, 2026, with an August 3, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline. These notices are largely procedural, but they keep investor attention on the lawsuit. Rosen notice
• Negative Sentiment: The securities fraud lawsuit raises legal and financial uncertainty for Badger Meter, which can weigh on the shares until there is more clarity on the allegations and potential exposure. Berger Montague notice

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Richard Htwe purchased 1,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was bought at an average price of $116.13 per share, for a total transaction of $197,421.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 7,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $882,936.39. The trade was a 28.80% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Christina M. Tarantino acquired 870 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $113.80 per share, for a total transaction of $99,006.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $204,953.80. The trade was a 93.45% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired a total of 6,628 shares of company stock worth $777,128 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Badger Meter 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.