Group 1 - Badger Meter, Inc. (BMI) is experiencing significant activity in the options market, particularly with the Nov 21, 2025 $130.00 Call showing high implied volatility, indicating potential for a major price movement [1] - Implied volatility reflects market expectations for future stock movement, suggesting that investors anticipate a significant event that could lead to a rally or sell-off [2] - Analysts have a negative outlook on Badger Meter, with the company currently holding a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell) in the Instruments - Control Industry, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has decreased from $1.22 to $1.12 per share due to downward revisions by four analysts [3][4] Group 2 - The high implied volatility in Badger Meter's options may indicate a trading opportunity, as seasoned traders often seek to sell premium on options with such volatility, hoping the stock does not move as much as expected by expiration [4]

Core Viewpoint - Momentum investing focuses on following a stock's recent price trends, aiming to buy high and sell higher, with the expectation that established trends will continue [1][2]. Company Analysis: Watts Water (WTS) - Watts Water currently holds a Momentum Style Score of A, indicating strong momentum characteristics [3]. - The company has a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), suggesting a favorable outlook based on historical performance metrics [4]. - Over the past week, WTS shares increased by 1.24%, while the Zacks Instruments - Control industry rose by 2.52% [6]. - In a longer timeframe, WTS shares have appreciated by 11.86% over the past quarter and 49.62% over the last year, outperforming the S&P 500's gains of 10.57% and 21.94%, respectively [7]. - The average 20-day trading volume for WTS is 252,344 shares, which serves as a bullish indicator when combined with rising stock prices [8]. Earnings Outlook - In the last two months, four earnings estimates for WTS have been revised upwards, with no downward revisions, leading to an increase in the consensus estimate from $9.28 to $9.78 [10]. - For the next fiscal year, four estimates have also moved higher without any decreases, indicating positive sentiment regarding future earnings [10]. Conclusion - Considering the strong momentum indicators and positive earnings outlook, Watts Water is positioned as a 1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of A, making it a compelling investment option [12].

Core Viewpoint - Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (WTS) reported strong financial performance in Q2 2025, with adjusted EPS of $3.09, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 15.3% [1][8] Financial Performance - Quarterly net sales increased by 8% year over year to $644 million, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.1% [2][8] - Organic sales rose by 6% year over year, driven by favorable pricing, volume, and pull-forward demand in the Americas [2][8] - Gross profit increased by 14% year over year to $325.9 million, while operating income rose by 21% to $135.3 million [9] Segment Results - **Americas**: Net sales increased by 11% to $499 million, with organic sales up 10%. Adjusted operating margin expanded by 290 basis points to 27.2% [5][8] - **Europe**: Net sales decreased by 3% to $111 million, with an 8% decline in organic sales. Adjusted operating margin improved by 170 basis points to 11.7% despite volume declines [6] - **APMEA**: Net sales decreased by 3% to $34 million, with a flat adjusted operating margin of 18.9% [7] Cash Flow and Liquidity - For the six months ended June 29, 2025, cash from operating activities was $125 million, down from $130.9 million in the prior year [10] - Free cash flow for the same period was $105.1 million, compared to $119.7 million a year ago, primarily due to higher working capital investments [11] - As of June 29, 2025, the company had $369.3 million in cash and cash equivalents and $197.3 million in long-term debt [12] Guidance - For 2025, the company expects reported sales growth between 2% and 5%, with organic sales expected to be flat to increase by 3% [13] - Adjusted EBITDA margin is forecasted to be between 20.7% and 21.3%, indicating an improvement of 60 to 120 basis points [14] - For Q3 2025, reported sales are expected to increase by 4% to 7%, with organic sales projected to rise by 2% to 5% [15] Market Performance - Shares of WTS have gained 42.3% over the past year, significantly outperforming the Zacks Instruments - Control industry, which grew by 7.9% [3]

Financial Performance - Thermon Group reported quarterly earnings of $0.36 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.37 per share, and down from $0.38 per share a year ago, representing an earnings surprise of -2.70% [1] - The company posted revenues of $108.9 million for the quarter ended June 2025, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 11.84%, compared to year-ago revenues of $115.13 million [2] Earnings Outlook - The current consensus EPS estimate for the coming quarter is $0.38 on revenues of $123.45 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $1.85 on revenues of $520.39 million [7] - The estimate revisions trend for Thermon Group was mixed ahead of the earnings release, resulting in a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) for the stock, indicating expected performance in line with the market [6] Market Performance - Thermon Group shares have lost about 1.9% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P 500 has gained 7.9% [3] - The outlook for the industry, specifically the Instruments - Control sector, is currently in the top 12% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting a favorable environment for stock performance [8]

Core Insights - Watts Water (WTS) reported quarterly earnings of $3.09 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.68 per share, and up from $2.46 per share a year ago [1] - The earnings surprise was +15.30%, and the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates for four consecutive quarters [2] - The company generated revenues of $643.7 million for the quarter, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.10% and increasing from $597.3 million year-over-year [3] Financial Performance - The earnings surprise of +15.30% indicates strong performance relative to expectations [2] - Revenue growth of approximately 7.0% year-over-year reflects the company's ability to outperform market estimates consistently [3] - The stock has appreciated about 29.7% year-to-date, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 7.1% [4] Future Outlook - The company's earnings outlook is crucial for assessing future stock performance, with current consensus EPS estimates at $2.22 for the next quarter and $9.47 for the current fiscal year [5][8] - The favorable trend in estimate revisions prior to the earnings release has resulted in a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) for the stock, suggesting expected outperformance in the near future [7] - The Instruments - Control industry, to which Watts Water belongs, is currently in the top 26% of Zacks industries, indicating a positive industry outlook [9]

Core Viewpoint - Transcat, Inc. reported quarterly earnings of $0.59 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.40 per share, and showing an increase from $0.48 per share a year ago, resulting in an earnings surprise of +47.50% [1][2] Group 1: Earnings Performance - The company posted revenues of $76.42 million for the quarter ended June 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.51%, compared to $66.71 million in the same quarter last year [2] - Over the last four quarters, Transcat has surpassed consensus EPS estimates just once [2] Group 2: Stock Performance and Outlook - Transcat shares have declined approximately 28.5% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P 500 has gained 7.1% [3] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.45 on revenues of $74.45 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $1.90 on revenues of $302.41 million [7] Group 3: Industry Context - The Instruments - Control industry, to which Transcat belongs, is currently ranked in the top 26% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating a favorable outlook [8] - Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, suggesting that the stock may outperform the market in the near future [5][6]

Core Viewpoint - Sensata reported quarterly earnings of $0.87 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.84 per share, but down from $0.93 per share a year ago [1][2] Financial Performance - The earnings surprise for the quarter was +3.57%, and the company had a previous surprise of +8.33% with earnings of $0.78 per share against an expectation of $0.72 per share [2] - Sensata's revenues for the quarter were $943.38 million, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.09%, compared to $1.04 billion in the same quarter last year [3] - Over the last four quarters, Sensata has exceeded consensus EPS estimates two times and revenue estimates three times [2][3] Stock Performance - Sensata shares have increased approximately 20.2% since the beginning of the year, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 8.6% [4] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), indicating expectations for it to outperform the market in the near future [7] Future Outlook - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.82 on revenues of $903.87 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $3.26 on revenues of $3.65 billion [8] - The Instruments - Control industry, to which Sensata belongs, is currently ranked in the top 38% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting a favorable outlook for the stock [9]

Core Viewpoint - Watts Water (WTS) has consistently beaten earnings estimates and is well-positioned for future earnings growth, particularly highlighted by its recent performance and positive earnings expectations [1][6]. Earnings Performance - For the last reported quarter, Watts Water achieved earnings of $2.37 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.12 per share, resulting in a surprise of 11.79% [2]. - In the previous quarter, the company was expected to earn $1.91 per share but delivered $2.05 per share, yielding a surprise of 7.33% [2]. Earnings Estimates and Predictions - Estimates for Watts Water have been trending higher, supported by its history of earnings surprises, with an average surprise of 9.56% over the last two quarters [1][3]. - The company currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.86%, indicating a bullish outlook from analysts regarding its near-term earnings potential [6]. Zacks Rank and Earnings ESP - The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) suggests a strong likelihood of another earnings beat in the upcoming report [6]. - Stocks with a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) or better have historically produced positive surprises nearly 70% of the time [4].

Core Insights - Badger Meter, Inc. (BMI) reported Q2 2025 EPS of $1.17, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.3%, but up from $1.12 in the same quarter last year [1] - Quarterly net sales reached $238.1 million, a 10% increase from $216.7 million year-over-year, driven by higher utility water sales and contributions from the SmartCover acquisition [1] Segment Performance - Utility water sales increased by 11% year-over-year, supported by the adoption of digital smart water technologies and higher demand for metering solutions [4] - Flow instrumentation sales remained flat year-over-year, with slight growth in water-related markets offset by reduced demand in non-water-related applications [5] Financial Performance - Gross profit rose to $97.8 million from $85.4 million in the prior year, with a gross margin of 41.1%, up 170 basis points year-over-year [6] - Operating earnings increased by 8% year-over-year to $44.9 million, while operating margin slightly declined to 18.8% [7] Cash Flow & Liquidity - Cash from operations grew to $44.6 million from $36.4 million a year ago, with cash and cash equivalents at $165.2 million as of June 30, 2025 [11] Management Commentary - Management noted strong demand for its cellular AMI solution and BlueEdge portfolio, despite macroeconomic challenges [2] - The integration of SmartCover is expected to reveal new market opportunities [2] Outlook - The company anticipates high single-digit revenue growth in the long term, supported by strong industry fundamentals and sustained customer demand [12]

Core Viewpoint - Badger Meter reported quarterly earnings of $1.17 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.21 per share, but showing an increase from $1.12 per share a year ago [1][2] Financial Performance - The company posted revenues of $238.1 million for the quarter ended June 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.61% and increasing from $216.66 million year-over-year [3] - Badger Meter has surpassed consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters [3] Stock Performance - Badger Meter shares have increased approximately 15.6% since the beginning of the year, compared to a 7.2% gain in the S&P 500 [4] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating expected performance in line with the market in the near future [7] Earnings Outlook - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $1.22 on revenues of $234.97 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $4.93 on revenues of $924.92 million [8] - The estimate revisions trend for Badger Meter was mixed ahead of the earnings release, which may change following the recent report [7] Industry Context - The Instruments - Control industry, to which Badger Meter belongs, is currently in the top 11% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating a favorable outlook [9]