Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $136.10.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens upgraded Itron from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings cut Itron from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Itron from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Itron from $145.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Itron in a report on Tuesday, November 4th.

Itron Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of Itron stock opened at $100.19 on Friday. Itron has a 52-week low of $90.11 and a 52-week high of $142.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 2.17. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $97.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.00. The firm has a market cap of $4.59 billion, a PE ratio of 18.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.49.

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.06. Itron had a net margin of 10.69% and a return on equity of 17.82%. The company had revenue of $581.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $578.49 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Itron will post 5.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Itron

In other news, CFO Joan S. Hooper sold 948 shares of Itron stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.51, for a total value of $91,491.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,439,413.46. This trade represents a 1.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Christopher E. Ware sold 343 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.51, for a total transaction of $33,102.93. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 18,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,811,878.74. The trade was a 1.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,971 shares of company stock valued at $286,731. 1.45% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Itron

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ITRI. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Itron by 52.5% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,240 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in Itron by 233.8% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 1,509 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its holdings in Itron by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 9,400 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in Itron by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 21,300 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,804,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in Itron by 168.4% during the 2nd quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 424 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. 96.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Itron

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.