IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Lowers Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd decreased its holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 35.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,173 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 7,824 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd's holdings in Badger Meter were worth $3,006,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter worth $20,586,000. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 363,164 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $77,034,000 after buying an additional 68,137 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the fourth quarter worth about $10,462,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,841,879 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $814,939,000 after buying an additional 44,839 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 348.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 55,090 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $12,034,000 after buying an additional 42,806 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 shares of the company'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 directly owns 14,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,980,638.63. This represents a 1.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst sold 16,073 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total value of $3,371,151.02. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 34,961 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,332,720.14. This represents a 31.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Shares of Badger Meter stock traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $190.30. The company had a trading volume of 69,976 shares, compared to its average volume of 193,988. The company's 50-day moving average is $208.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $213.72. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $151.18 and a twelve month high of $239.11. The company has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BMI shares. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price 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. Finally, Maxim Group raised their price target on Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Four investment 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 presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $225.20.

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.