Wall Street Zen Upgrades Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) to Buy

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on ITRI. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Itron in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Zacks Research cut shares of Itron from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Oppenheimer set a $145.00 price target on shares of Itron and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $118.00 price objective (down from $137.00) on shares of Itron in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Baird R W lowered shares of Itron from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.10.

Itron Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ITRI opened at $97.25 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $98.18 and a 200-day moving average of $117.71. Itron has a 12 month low of $90.11 and a 12 month high of $142.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.45 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.49.

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.06. Itron had a net margin of 10.69% and a return on equity of 17.82%. The business had revenue of $581.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $578.49 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Itron has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.840-6.940 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Itron will post 5.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Itron

In other news, SVP John F. Marcolini sold 553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.51, for a total transaction of $53,370.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,335,987.93. This trade represents a 3.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Joan S. Hooper sold 948 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.51, for a total transaction of $91,491.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,439,413.46. This represents a 1.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,971 shares of company stock worth $286,731. 1.45% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Itron

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Itron by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,875,153 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $731,809,000 after purchasing an additional 132,329 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its stake in Itron by 127.3% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,588,950 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $197,153,000 after buying an additional 890,040 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Itron by 2.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,109,851 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $146,107,000 after buying an additional 21,925 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Itron by 1.5% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,076,274 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $134,058,000 after buying an additional 16,261 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in Itron by 6.0% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 999,882 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $124,545,000 after acquiring an additional 56,318 shares during the last quarter. 96.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.