Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

ITRI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Itron in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $136.00 target price on shares of Itron in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Itron in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Itron from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of Itron from $116.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.33.

Itron Price Performance

Shares of ITRI opened at $97.53 on Thursday. Itron has a twelve month low of $77.77 and a twelve month high of $142.00. The company has a market capitalization of $4.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $92.32 and a 200 day moving average of $90.08. The company has a quick ratio of 2.29, a current ratio of 2.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.30. Itron had a return on equity of 19.26% and a net margin of 11.90%.The business had revenue of $562.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $566.34 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.62 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Itron has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.500-1.600 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.300-6.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Itron will post 6.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Itron

In other news, SVP Donald L. Reeves III sold 283 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.99, for a total transaction of $28,297.17. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 27,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,765,923.38. This represents a 1.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Joan S. Hooper sold 455 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.79, for a total transaction of $44,949.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 118,440 shares in the company, valued at $11,700,687.60. This trade represents a 0.38% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,693 shares of company stock worth $759,475. 1.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Itron

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Itron in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Itron by 343.6% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 346 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Itron in the 3rd quarter worth $49,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Itron by 25.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 401 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. bought a new position in Itron in the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. 96.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.