Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Short Interest Update

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,470,000 shares, a growth of 26.7% from the December 15th total of 1,160,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 204,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.2 days.

Badger Meter Stock Up 0.5 %

Badger Meter stock traded up $1.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $215.06. The stock had a trading volume of 132,073 shares, compared to its average volume of 158,110. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.79. Badger Meter has a 12-month low of $139.50 and a 12-month high of $239.11. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $218.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $209.50.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.80% and a return on equity of 21.56%. The company had revenue of $208.44 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $212.08 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Badger Meter will post 4.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is 33.75%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BMI. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in Badger Meter by 4.5% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $357,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the second quarter valued at approximately $577,000. Geneva Partners LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,120,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC grew its position in Badger Meter by 72.3% during the second quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 19,783 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,687,000 after buying an additional 8,298 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in Badger Meter by 29.0% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 11,971 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,615,000 after buying an additional 2,692 shares during the period. 89.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BMI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Maxim Group lifted their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $203.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Badger Meter currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.00.

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.