Olympiad Research LP Makes New $371,000 Investment in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Olympiad Research LP bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,749 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $371,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BMI. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 2,457.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 179 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in 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 period. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Badger Meter Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE BMI traded up $0.59 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $208.18. 228,277 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 212,064. The business's fifty day moving average price is $214.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $213.43. The company has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.22, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.78. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.87 and a 12-month high of $239.11.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 21.77%. Equities analysts expect 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 will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Badger Meter's payout ratio is currently 32.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BMI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Maxim Group increased their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $218.75.

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.