Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Holdings Lowered by GSA Capital Partners LLP

GSA Capital Partners LLP lowered its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 45.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,698 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 3,040 shares during the quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $808,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Badger Meter by 1,016.7% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 201 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Badger Meter by 2,633.3% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 492 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Badger Meter by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 499 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 40.9% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 575 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the third quarter worth $204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Trading Down 2.0 %

Badger Meter stock opened at $215.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.78. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1-year low of $139.50 and a 1-year high of $230.76. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $213.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $201.09.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $208.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.08 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.56% and a net margin of 14.80%. Badger Meter’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.75%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.00, for a total value of $224,885.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $791,505. This trade represents a 22.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus increased their price objective on Badger Meter from $204.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $189.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Maxim Group upped their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $214.75.

About Badger Meter

Badger Meter, Inc manufactures and markets flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions worldwide. It offers mechanical or static water meters, and related radio and software technologies and services to municipal water utilities market. The company also provides flow instrumentation products, including meters, valves, and other sensing instruments to measure and control fluids going through a pipe or pipeline, including water, air, steam, and other liquids and gases to original equipment manufacturers as the primary flow measurement device within a product or system, as well as through manufacturers' representatives.