Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 350,378 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 12,180 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.19% of Badger Meter worth $74,322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Burney Co. purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at $385,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Badger Meter by 68.1% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 33,395 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $7,083,000 after buying an additional 13,526 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 2,692 shares during the period. Fortress Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at $369,000. Finally, Perpetual Ltd acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at $10,462,000. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Badger Meter Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE:BMI opened at $209.81 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.17 billion, a PE ratio of 49.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.87 and a 52-week high of $239.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $213.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $214.07.

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

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is 32.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on BMI shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Maxim Group raised their target price on Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.75.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In related news, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total value 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. The trade was a 18.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst sold 1,165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.13, for a total transaction of $247,131.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 52,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,162,280.60. The trade was a 2.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.