HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC Buys Shares of 92,298 Itron, Inc. $ITRI

Key Points

• HITE Hedge Asset Management opened a new position in Itron during Q4, buying 92,298 shares worth about $8.57 million. The stake represented roughly 0.20% of the company.
• Itron posted a better-than-expected quarter, with EPS of $1.49 versus the $1.26 consensus and revenue of $586.98 million, though sales were still down 3.3% year over year. The company also guided Q2 2026 EPS at $1.25-$1.35.
• Institutional ownership remains very high at 96.19%, while several analysts maintain a bullish outlook; MarketBeat shows an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $131.22 average price target. Meanwhile, insiders recently sold shares, including CFO Joan S. Hooper and SVP John F. Marcolini.

HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 92,298 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $8,571,000. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.20% of Itron as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Itron by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,875,153 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $731,809,000 after buying an additional 132,329 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Itron by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,271,042 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $118,034,000 after buying an additional 194,768 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Itron by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,144,982 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $106,340,000 after buying an additional 6,598 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in shares of Itron by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 999,882 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $124,545,000 after buying an additional 56,318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Itron by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 762,087 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $94,926,000 after buying an additional 4,368 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.19% of the company's stock.

Itron Stock Performance

Shares of ITRI stock opened at $80.56 on Friday. Itron, Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.77 and a 1-year high of $142.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $3.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.33. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $86.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.55.

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.23. Itron had a return on equity of 19.54% and a net margin of 12.31%.The business had revenue of $586.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $572.04 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.52 earnings per share. Itron's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Itron has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Itron, Inc. will post 6.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Joan S. Hooper sold 442 shares of Itron stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.37, for a total transaction of $37,291.54. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 117,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,911,618.86. The trade was a 0.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP John F. Marcolini sold 322 shares of Itron stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.37, for a total value of $27,167.14. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 24,689 shares in the company, valued at $2,083,010.93. This represents a 1.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,946 shares of company stock worth $324,420. 1.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ITRI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Itron in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $128.00 target price on Itron and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Itron from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Itron from $133.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Itron from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Itron has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $131.22.

Itron 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.

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