Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Raises Position in Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEI)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEI) by 22.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 149,826 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after buying an additional 27,210 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned 0.42% of Methode Electronics worth $1,766,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MEI. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in Methode Electronics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Methode Electronics in the third quarter valued at $132,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Methode Electronics during the 3rd quarter valued at $178,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Methode Electronics during the 4th quarter worth $209,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Methode Electronics in the 3rd quarter worth $254,000. 95.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Methode Electronics Trading Up 1.6 %

MEI opened at $10.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $390.34 million, a PE ratio of -4.33 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 2.75 and a quick ratio of 1.73. Methode Electronics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.54 and a 12-month high of $21.86. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $11.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.98.

Methode Electronics (NYSE:MEI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The electronics maker reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.17) by $0.31. Methode Electronics had a negative net margin of 8.16% and a negative return on equity of 3.26%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.06 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Methode Electronics, Inc. will post -0.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Methode Electronics Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. Methode Electronics’s dividend payout ratio is presently -22.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MEI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Sidoti upgraded Methode Electronics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Methode Electronics from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th.

Methode Electronics Company 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.