Nuveen Asset Management LLC Buys 99,142 Shares of Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI - Free Report) by 21.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 560,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 99,142 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned 1.24% of Itron worth $60,857,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Itron by 78.3% during the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,083 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $660,000 after purchasing an additional 2,671 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Itron by 112.7% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 41,363 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $4,491,000 after purchasing an additional 21,919 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Itron by 180.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 333,363 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $36,197,000 after purchasing an additional 214,600 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Itron during the fourth quarter worth approximately $301,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Itron by 143.2% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 7,355 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 4,331 shares during the period. 96.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Itron Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ITRI traded up $0.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $112.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 363,493 shares, compared to its average volume of 574,874. The firm has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a current ratio of 3.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $106.18 and a 200-day moving average of $107.90. Itron, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.11 and a 12 month high of $124.90.

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $607.15 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $608.86 million. Itron had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 9.37%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. Research analysts expect that Itron, Inc. will post 5.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ITRI shares. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $133.00 price target on shares of Itron in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Itron from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Itron from $124.00 to $121.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Itron from $124.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Itron from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $127.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Itron

In other news, Director Mary C. Hemmingsen sold 5,150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.70, for a total transaction of $559,805.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,482.40. This represents a 84.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO David Marshall Wright sold 317 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.90, for a total value of $29,449.30. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at $753,233.20. The trade was a 3.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,187 shares of company stock worth $945,620 in the last quarter. 1.45% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Itron Company Profile

Itron, Inc, a technology, solutions, and service company, provides end-to-end solutions that help manage energy, water, and smart city operations worldwide. It operates in three segments: Device Solutions, Networked Solutions, and Outcomes. The Device Solutions segment offers hardware products that are used for measurement, control, or sensing, such as standard gas, electricity, water, and communicating meters, as well as heat and allocation products.