Methode Electronics, Inc. $MEI Shares Sold by Towle & Co.

Towle & Co. lowered its holdings in shares of Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEIFree Report) by 38.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 718,847 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 439,930 shares during the period. Towle & Co. owned 2.03% of Methode Electronics worth $3,968,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MEI. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Methode Electronics by 8.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 127,268 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $812,000 after buying an additional 9,787 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Methode Electronics during the first quarter worth about $133,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Methode Electronics by 10.0% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 191,757 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $1,824,000 after buying an additional 17,418 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in Methode Electronics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $234,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Methode Electronics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $107,000. 95.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Methode Electronics Stock Down 2.3%

MEI opened at $16.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 2.37 and a quick ratio of 1.66. Methode Electronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $4.88 and a 12 month high of $20.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $569.61 million, a P/E ratio of -15.90 and a beta of 1.47. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.73.

Methode Electronics (NYSE:MEIGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 24th. The electronics maker reported ($0.30) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.11) by ($0.19). Methode Electronics had a negative return on equity of 5.59% and a negative net margin of 3.50%.The business had revenue of $298.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $238.46 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Methode Electronics, Inc. will post -0.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Methode Electronics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Methode Electronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -19.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Methode Electronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Barrington Research raised Methode Electronics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, June 29th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Methode Electronics from $8.50 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Sidoti reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of Methode Electronics in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Methode Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $19.33.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on MEI

Methode Electronics Profile

(Free Report)

Methode Electronics, Inc is a Chicago-based global manufacturer of custom-engineered electronic and electromechanical components and assemblies. Founded in 1946, Methode specializes in providing solutions that integrate electrical connectors, sensors, switches, human-machine interface devices and power distribution modules. The company’s product portfolio addresses complex application requirements across a broad range of end markets, including automotive, industrial, energy, healthcare and data/telecommunications.

In its automotive segment, Methode develops advanced connector systems, circuit protection devices and thermal management solutions for internal combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles.

See Also

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Methode Electronics (NYSE:MEI)

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