Sei Investments Co. Lowers Stock Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Sei Investments Co. cut its holdings in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 25.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,227 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 6,188 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned approximately 0.06% of Badger Meter worth $3,866,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BMI. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings 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 valued at $74,322,000 after buying an additional 12,180 shares in the last quarter. Burney Co. bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at $385,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake 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 worth $7,083,000 after purchasing an additional 13,526 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 29.0% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Fortress Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at about $369,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Trading Up 1.7 %

Badger Meter stock opened at $195.91 on Thursday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $151.18 and a 12-month high of $239.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $207.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $213.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 46.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is 32.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BMI has been the subject of several research 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $225.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 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 value of $31,395.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,638.63. The trade was a 1.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 5,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,064,640.24. This represents a 18.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,949 shares of company stock worth $4,398,407 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.80% 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.