Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 2,908,377 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 231% from the previous session’s volume of 878,055 shares.The stock last traded at $97.9410 and had previously closed at $95.21.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on ITRI. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Itron from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Johnson Rice raised shares of Itron from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 5th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Itron from $125.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Itron from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Stephens upgraded Itron from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.56.

Itron Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $97.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.35. The stock has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $571.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $561.31 million. Itron had a net margin of 12.72% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. Itron has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.200-1.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.750-6.250 EPS. Analysts forecast that Itron, Inc. will post 5.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Itron

In other news, SVP John F. Marcolini sold 6,948 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total value of $691,603.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 26,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,678,820.48. The trade was a 20.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Christopher E. Ware sold 4,486 shares of Itron stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total transaction of $446,536.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 31,806 shares in the company, valued at $3,165,969.24. This trade represents a 12.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 47,128 shares of company stock worth $4,695,811. Corporate insiders own 1.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ITRI. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in Itron by 112.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 274 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Itron during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of Itron in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Itron by 125.7% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 255 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new position in Itron in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 96.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Itron

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.