Graham Capital Management L.P. Has $586,000 Position in Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEI)

Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its position in Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEI - Free Report) by 220.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,679 shares of the electronics maker's stock after purchasing an additional 34,165 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P. owned approximately 0.14% of Methode Electronics worth $586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MEI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Methode Electronics by 176.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 263,381 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $3,105,000 after buying an additional 168,188 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Methode Electronics by 42.1% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 181,716 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $2,143,000 after buying an additional 53,799 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Methode Electronics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,678,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 5,677 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Methode Electronics by 2,396.4% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 287,440 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $3,389,000 after buying an additional 275,926 shares during the period. 95.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Methode Electronics Stock Performance

Shares of MEI stock traded down $0.16 on Monday, hitting $7.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 189,547 shares, compared to its average volume of 491,867. The company has a market capitalization of $264.83 million, a PE ratio of -2.93 and a beta of 0.88. 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 quick ratio of 1.73 and a current ratio of 2.75. The stock's 50 day moving average is $6.39 and its 200-day moving average is $9.40.

Methode Electronics (NYSE:MEI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 company 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 last year, the company posted ($0.33) earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Methode Electronics, Inc. will post -0.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Methode Electronics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 18th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. Methode Electronics's payout ratio is presently -21.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Methode Electronics Company 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.