Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Acquires 3,233 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 14.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,869 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,233 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Badger Meter worth $5,650,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 1,016.7% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 201 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Badger Meter by 2,633.3% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 492 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 46.3% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 499 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 40.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 575 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter worth $204,000. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Badger Meter Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of Badger Meter stock traded down $1.48 on Thursday, hitting $201.19. 150,053 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 179,518. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $135.27 and a 12-month high of $230.76. The company has a market cap of $5.91 billion, a PE ratio of 58.42, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $210.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $196.01.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $208.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.08 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.42% and a net margin of 14.44%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 23rd were given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. This is an increase from Badger Meter's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 23rd. Badger Meter's payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,097 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.00, for a total value of $224,885.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at $791,505. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Badger Meter from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Argus upped their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $204.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $189.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Maxim Group lifted their price target on Badger Meter from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $214.75.

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.