BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $2.33 Million Stock Holdings in Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEI)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEI - Free Report) by 96.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 197,433 shares of the electronics maker's stock after buying an additional 96,820 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.55% of Methode Electronics worth $2,328,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Methode Electronics during the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Methode Electronics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,678,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Methode Electronics by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 117,481 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $1,385,000 after acquiring an additional 5,677 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Methode Electronics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $304,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its position in Methode Electronics by 73.2% during the 4th quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 68,161 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $804,000 after acquiring an additional 28,799 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.49% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MEI shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Methode Electronics from $9.00 to $7.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Sidoti upgraded Methode Electronics from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

Methode Electronics Price Performance

Shares of MEI stock traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $7.36. 8,261 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 489,483. Methode Electronics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $5.08 and a fifty-two week high of $17.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 2.75 and a quick ratio of 1.73. The stock's fifty day moving average is $6.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.36. The company has a market cap of $262.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.91 and a beta of 0.88.

Methode Electronics (NYSE:MEI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The electronics maker reported ($0.21) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.17) by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $239.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $264.01 million. Methode Electronics had a negative return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 8.16%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.33) EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Methode Electronics, Inc. will post -0.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Methode Electronics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 18th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. Methode Electronics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -21.46%.

Insider Activity at Methode Electronics

In other Methode Electronics news, SVP Lars Ullrich acquired 15,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $6.69 per share, for a total transaction of $101,353.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,353.50. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Jonathan B. Degaynor bought 32,733 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $6.46 per share, with a total value of $211,455.18. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $211,455.18. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Methode Electronics Profile

Methode Electronics, Inc designs, engineers, and produces mechatronic products worldwide. It operates through four segments: Automotive, Industrial, Interface, and Medical. The Automotive segment supplies electronic and electro-mechanical devices, and related products to automobile original equipment manufacturers directly or through their tiered suppliers.