Trexquant Investment LP Has $1.29 Million Stock Position in Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEI)

Trexquant Investment LP raised its holdings in shares of Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEI - Free Report) by 477.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 109,439 shares of the electronics maker's stock after acquiring an additional 90,481 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP owned approximately 0.31% of Methode Electronics worth $1,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aviance Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Methode Electronics by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 56,594 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $667,000 after buying an additional 2,781 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of Methode Electronics by 196.8% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 4,509 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 2,990 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Methode Electronics by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 75,971 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $909,000 after buying an additional 3,288 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Methode Electronics by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 49,440 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $583,000 after acquiring an additional 7,969 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.49% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sidoti raised shares of Methode Electronics from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Methode Electronics from $9.00 to $7.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday.

Methode Electronics Stock Down 1.4 %

MEI traded down $0.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $5.62. 78,837 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 500,073. The stock has a market cap of $200.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.22 and a beta of 0.93. Methode Electronics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $5.08 and a 1-year high of $17.45. The stock's 50-day moving average is $7.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 2.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Methode Electronics (NYSE:MEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The electronics maker reported ($0.21) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.17) by ($0.04). Methode Electronics had a negative net margin of 8.16% and a negative return on equity of 3.26%. The company had revenue of $239.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $264.01 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.33) EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Methode Electronics, Inc. will post -0.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Methode Electronics Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 18th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.97%. Methode Electronics's payout ratio is -21.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Methode Electronics news, CEO Jonathan B. Degaynor purchased 32,733 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $6.46 per share, with a total value of $211,455.18. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $211,455.18. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Lars Ullrich acquired 15,150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $6.69 per share, for a total transaction of $101,353.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,353.50. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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.