Short Interest in Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI) Expands By 42.7%

Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 4,876,942 shares, an increase of 42.7% from the February 12th total of 3,417,203 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,984,545 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days. Currently, 11.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Currently, 11.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,984,545 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Itron from $125.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Guggenheim set a $155.00 price target on Itron in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Itron from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on shares of Itron in a research report on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Itron from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.10.

Insider Transactions at Itron

In other Itron news, SVP Laurie Ann Pulatie-Hahn sold 729 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.17, for a total transaction of $73,023.93. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 32,950 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,300,601.50. This trade represents a 2.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher E. Ware sold 763 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.17, for a total transaction of $76,429.71. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 31,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,109,577.31. The trade was a 2.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 51,180 shares of company stock worth $5,085,475 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Itron

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ITRI. DLD Asset Management LP boosted its position in shares of Itron by 49.9% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 63,400 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $7,897,000 after buying an additional 21,100 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in Itron during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,300,000. Robeco Schweiz AG increased its holdings in Itron by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 372,176 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $46,358,000 after acquiring an additional 88,504 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its position in Itron by 23.6% during the second quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 376,087 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $49,504,000 after acquiring an additional 71,702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG acquired a new position in Itron during the third quarter worth about $4,673,000. 96.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Itron Stock Performance

Shares of ITRI stock opened at $90.00 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $97.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.59. The company has a market cap of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.44. Itron has a 12-month low of $88.57 and a 12-month high of $142.00.

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $571.66 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $561.31 million. Itron had a net margin of 12.72% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. Itron has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.200-1.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.750-6.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Itron will post 5.33 EPS for the current year.

Itron Company Profile

Itron, Inc (NASDAQ: ITRI) is a global technology company that develops innovative solutions to measure, manage and analyze the use of energy and water. Its comprehensive portfolio includes smart meters, data collection devices, communication networks and advanced software applications designed to optimize utility operations and foster sustainable resource management. The company’s offerings enable utilities and cities to accurately monitor consumption patterns, streamline billing processes and improve grid reliability.

Itron’s product lineup spans a range of hardware and software solutions, from residential and commercial smart meters to meter data management systems (MDMS), networked communication platforms and analytics tools.