Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $127.36.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $133.00 target price on shares of Itron in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Itron from $124.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Itron from $124.00 to $121.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Itron from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Itron from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday.

Insider Buying and Selling at Itron

In other Itron news, Director Mary C. Hemmingsen sold 5,150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were 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 $103,482.40. This trade represents a 84.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.45% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Itron

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ITRI. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Itron by 112.7% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Itron by 180.7% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 333,363 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $36,197,000 after buying an additional 214,600 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Itron during the 4th quarter worth $301,000. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in Itron by 42.1% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 253,526 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,528,000 after buying an additional 75,166 shares during the period. 96.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Itron Stock Performance

Itron stock traded up $2.87 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $115.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 820,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 575,855. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $106.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.72. The company has a market capitalization of $5.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a PEG 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. Itron has a 12-month low of $90.11 and a 12-month high of $124.90.

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

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.