Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.03 EPS

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) released its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03, Zacks reports. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.56% and a net margin of 14.80%.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

BMI opened at $213.34 on Friday. Badger Meter has a 52-week low of $139.50 and a 52-week high of $239.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.27 billion, a PE ratio of 52.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $217.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $211.11.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is 33.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BMI shares. Maxim Group raised their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Badger Meter from $203.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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.