Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 55,135 Shares of Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEI)

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its stake in Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEI - Free Report) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,845,307 shares of the electronics maker's stock after selling 55,135 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 7.98% of Methode Electronics worth $33,546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Methode Electronics by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 56,594 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $667,000 after acquiring an additional 2,781 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in Methode Electronics by 196.8% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 4,509 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 2,990 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Methode Electronics by 4.5% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 75,971 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $909,000 after buying an additional 3,288 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Methode Electronics by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 117,481 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $1,385,000 after acquiring an additional 5,677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Methode Electronics by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 49,440 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $583,000 after purchasing an additional 7,969 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.49% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Methode Electronics from $9.00 to $7.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Sidoti upgraded Methode Electronics from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Jonathan B. Degaynor acquired 32,733 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $6.46 per share, for a total transaction of $211,455.18. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $211,455.18. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Lars Ullrich bought 15,150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were acquired 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 in the company, valued at $101,353.50. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Methode Electronics Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE MEI traded up $0.05 on Friday, hitting $5.69. 321,408 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 500,398. Methode Electronics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $5.08 and a 52-week high of $17.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.01 million, a P/E ratio of -2.25 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.73 and a current ratio of 2.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $7.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.95.

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

Methode Electronics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 18th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. Methode Electronics's dividend payout ratio is currently -21.46%.

Methode Electronics 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.