Curi RMB Capital LLC Buys 1,336 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Curi RMB Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 45,100 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 1,336 shares during the quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC owned about 0.15% of Badger Meter worth $9,567,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMI. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 0.4% in 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 buying an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 4.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,630 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 16,807 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,565,000 after purchasing an additional 1,363 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Badger Meter by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 2,780 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $590,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Badger Meter by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,490 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $11,984,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In related news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst sold 1,165 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.13, for a total value of $247,131.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 52,620 shares in the company, valued at $11,162,280.60. This trade represents a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.13, for a total transaction of $31,395.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,638.63. This represents a 1.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407. Company insiders own 0.80% 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.22. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 21.77%. The company had revenue of $222.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $220.39 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Badger Meter's payout ratio is currently 29.96%.

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.