Zions Bancorporation N.A. Buys 1,712 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI - Free Report) by 19.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,441 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,712 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A.'s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $2,215,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 261.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 597 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total value of $240,571.78. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,064,640.24. This trade represents a 18.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.13, for a total value of $31,395.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,980,638.63. The trade was a 1.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

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Badger Meter Stock Performance

NYSE BMI traded down $3.34 on Friday, hitting $189.86. 209,717 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 194,477. The business's fifty day moving average is $208.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $213.62. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12 month low of $151.18 and a 12 month high of $239.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.88, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 earnings per share 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%. Analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Badger Meter's payout ratio is currently 32.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BMI shares. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price objective for the company. Maxim Group increased their price target on Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $225.20.

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.