Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 2,741 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 9.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 24,872 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 2,741 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $3,839,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the third quarter worth about $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its position in Badger Meter by 8,666.7% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 526 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 520 shares during the period. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total transaction of $195,992.76. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $355,328.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Badger Meter news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.55, for a total transaction of $30,952.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 13,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,181,367.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total transaction of $195,992.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $355,328.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,813 shares of company stock valued at $448,167. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

NYSE:BMI opened at $189.00 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $163.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $154.07. Badger Meter, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $134.06 and a fifty-two week high of $190.39.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.17. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 20.26% and a net margin of 13.81%. The firm had revenue of $196.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $182.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 3.89 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is 31.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Northcoast Research raised shares of Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Badger Meter from $147.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Badger Meter from $151.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Maxim Group lifted their price objective on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.80.

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.