Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,330 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 256 shares during the quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $977,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 15,244 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,353,000 after acquiring an additional 2,160 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 88.0% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 26,362 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $4,070,000 after purchasing an additional 12,339 shares in the last quarter. Semanteon Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,196,000. Bailard Inc. boosted its holdings in Badger Meter by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 3,344 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Badger Meter Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE BMI traded down $2.84 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $182.92. 343,690 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 189,401. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $161.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $152.70. The company has a market capitalization of $5.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.86. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52-week low of $132.99 and a 52-week high of $188.13.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.17. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 20.26% and a net margin of 13.81%. The firm had revenue of $196.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $182.25 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 3.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 23rd. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total transaction of $195,992.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $355,328.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.55, for a total value of $30,952.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 13,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,181,367.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Fred J. Begale sold 1,203 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.92, for a total transaction of $195,992.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $355,328.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,813 shares of company stock valued at $448,167 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Northcoast Research upgraded Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Maxim Group lifted their price target on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $147.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Badger Meter from $151.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.80.

Badger Meter 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.