Mirova Grows Stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Mirova increased its holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 39.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,353 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,137 shares during the period. Badger Meter makes up about 0.9% of Mirova's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Mirova owned approximately 0.09% of Badger Meter worth $5,378,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Badger Meter by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 17,661 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,746,000 after buying an additional 1,022 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at about $377,000. Curi RMB Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 45,100 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $9,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Badger Meter by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 315,375 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $66,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285 shares during the period. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its position in Badger Meter by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 41,462 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $8,788,000 after acquiring an additional 1,630 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

BMI stock traded up $1.60 on Wednesday, reaching $210.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 489,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 203,183. The firm has a market cap of $6.18 billion, a PE ratio of 49.68, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $198.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $209.93. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $162.17 and a 12-month high of $239.11.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.22. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 21.77%. The firm had revenue of $222.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $220.39 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 0.65%. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of the business'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 sale, the vice president now owns 5,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,064,640.24. The trade was a 18.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst sold 1,165 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 owns 52,620 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,162,280.60. The trade was a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Badger Meter from $218.00 to $216.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Maxim Group upped their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $209.00 to $196.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $225.40.

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.