Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $216.00.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BMI shares. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Maxim Group boosted their price objective on Badger Meter from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $203.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th.

Badger Meter Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of BMI stock traded down $0.74 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $217.72. The stock had a trading volume of 341,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 183,279. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $216.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $205.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.40 billion, a PE ratio of 54.02, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.79. Badger Meter has a 12 month low of $139.50 and a 12 month high of $239.11.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $208.44 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $212.08 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.80% and a return on equity of 21.56%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter will post 4.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.75%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Badger Meter

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMI. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 6.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 338,198 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $73,866,000 after buying an additional 19,848 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Badger Meter by 7.0% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 337,391 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $62,873,000 after buying an additional 22,160 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 0.8% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 331,769 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $72,462,000 after buying an additional 2,515 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 295,027 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $64,437,000 after acquiring an additional 7,967 shares during the period. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 66.4% in the 2nd quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 128,651 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $23,974,000 after acquiring an additional 51,318 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

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.