Quadrature Capital Ltd Trims Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Quadrature Capital Ltd decreased its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 67.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,116 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 6,500 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd's holdings in Badger Meter were worth $680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Badger Meter by 15.1% during the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 22,636 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $4,218,000 after acquiring an additional 2,964 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,704,000. Bridges Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at $577,000. Finally, Geneva Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Badger Meter during the third quarter worth $1,120,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BMI shares. Maxim Group lifted their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Badger Meter from $189.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $214.75.

Badger Meter Price Performance

NYSE BMI traded up $3.69 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $228.07. The stock had a trading volume of 181,079 shares, compared to its average volume of 180,408. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.50 and a twelve month high of $230.76. The firm's 50 day moving average is $216.06 and its 200 day moving average is $203.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.68, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.79.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 14.80% and a return on equity of 21.56%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.75%.

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.