HighTower Advisors LLC Has $1.26 Million Stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 11.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,944 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 632 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $1,261,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of BMI. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Badger Meter by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 350,378 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $74,322,000 after purchasing an additional 12,180 shares in the last quarter. Burney Co. bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth $385,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Badger Meter by 68.1% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 33,395 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $7,083,000 after purchasing an additional 13,526 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in Badger Meter by 29.0% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 11,971 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,615,000 after purchasing an additional 2,692 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortress Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at $369,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE:BMI opened at $195.97 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $209.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $213.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 46.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $151.18 and a twelve month high of $239.11.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 21.77%. On average, analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total transaction of $240,571.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,064,640.24. This trade represents a 18.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst sold 16,073 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total transaction of $3,371,151.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 34,961 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,332,720.14. This represents a 31.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BMI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Maxim Group raised their price target on Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Four equities 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $218.75.

Badger Meter 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.