Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Itron has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 13 brokerages, with an average 12-month price target of about $131.22.
• The company’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, posting $1.49 EPS versus the $1.26 estimate and revenue of $586.98 million, though sales were still down 3.3% year over year.
• Recent insider activity included stock sales by the SVP and CFO for tax withholding purposes, while institutional investors continue to hold a very large share of the company at 96.19%.

Shares of Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $131.2222.

ITRI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Itron from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Itron from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $136.00 price objective on shares of Itron in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Itron in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They set an "underperform" rating on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Itron in a research note on Friday, May 8th.

Itron Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ITRI opened at $83.87 on Monday. Itron has a twelve month low of $77.77 and a twelve month high of $142.00. The company's 50 day moving average is $83.71 and its 200 day moving average is $91.36. 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 cap of $3.72 billion, a PE ratio of 13.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.33.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.23. Itron had a net margin of 12.31% and a return on equity of 19.54%. The company had revenue of $586.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $572.04 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. Itron's quarterly revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Itron has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Itron will post 6.01 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Itron

In other news, SVP Donald L. Reeves III sold 319 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.37, for a total transaction of $26,914.03. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 29,100 shares in the company, valued at $2,455,167. This trade represents a 1.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Joan S. Hooper sold 442 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.37, for a total value of $37,291.54. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 117,478 shares in the company, valued at $9,911,618.86. This trade represents a 0.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 3,946 shares of company stock valued at $324,420 in the last 90 days. 1.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ITRI. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Itron in the 4th quarter valued at $63,990,000. Soros Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in Itron in the 4th quarter valued at $34,843,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Itron by 269.3% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 506,867 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $47,068,000 after purchasing an additional 369,617 shares in the last quarter. Merewether Investment Management LP lifted its holdings in Itron by 1,552.7% in the 2nd quarter. Merewether Investment Management LP now owns 300,787 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $39,593,000 after purchasing an additional 282,587 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Itron by 20.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,536,081 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $137,659,000 after purchasing an additional 265,039 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.19% of the company's stock.

Itron Company 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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