Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.17 EPS

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.17, Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $196.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $182.25 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 20.26%. Badger Meter’s revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 EPS.

Badger Meter Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:BMI traded down $1.70 during trading on Friday, reaching $176.78. The company had a trading volume of 545,413 shares, compared to its average volume of 150,881. The company has a fifty day moving average of $157.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $150.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 0.86. Badger Meter has a 12 month low of $126.66 and a 12 month high of $181.00.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is 31.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $151.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $147.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Maxim Group increased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.50.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In related news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 1,416 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.23, for a total transaction of $221,221.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 13,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,096,919.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Badger Meter news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total value of $195,992.76. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $355,328.52. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 1,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.23, for a total transaction of $221,221.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 13,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,096,919.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,813 shares of company stock valued at $448,167 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Badger Meter

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMI. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the 1st quarter worth $91,000. State of Wyoming grew its holdings in Badger Meter by 168.4% in the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 714 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Middle East FZE bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth $112,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth about $115,000. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth about $133,000. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Company Profile

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.