Yahoo Finance Itron (ITRI) Unveils Intelis gFlex Prepayment Gas Meter
Itron Inc ITRI has announced the release of the company’s Intelis gFlex prepayment gas meter, which allows customers to prepay for the gas they consume. The above-mentioned meter can be purchased in regions like Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific region.
The meter is a simple SaaS solution that is controlled by a variety of vending channels and credit transfer combinations. The prepayment options allow utility companies to secure upfront revenue and reduce financial exposure.
The meter allows various payment methods to be used via multiple vending channels, including kiosks, Points of Sale, cellphones and Internet vending. An NFC (near-field communication) card, a smartphone app and an STS token via the meter numeric keypad can be used to transfer credit.
Itron, Inc. Price and Consensus
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The Intelis gFlex platform leverages NFC technology to transfer data back to the utility without any connection network. Meter data is loaded onto the NFC card or mobile app when customers add credit to the meter, and when more credit is bought, it is sent back to the utility through multiple vending channels.
Additionally, the meter will help the company to increase customer satisfaction and minimize call center volume via consumer portal and a mobile application for recharging and monitoring. Customers can access their real-time consumption data through text, mobile applications or email to better manage their budget.
The meter also needs less maintenance on-site and can resist challenging field conditions, which lowers the overall cost of ownership. It has a programmable gas supply shutoff, which helps to reduce operation and maintenance type expenses.
Itron is one of the major suppliers of a broad array of standard, advanced and smart meters and meter communication systems, including networks and communication modules, sensors, data analytics and services, and software and devices globally.
The company plans to expand its global presence in the utility sector with numerous collaborations.
In July, the company announced a collaboration with Sevier County Utility District (“SCUD”) to roll out ITRI’s meter data collection and management solution across SCUD’s gas district in Tennessee. It will help SCUD to serve reliable gas services to its 15,000 customers in the gas district in East Tennessee.
Prior to that, Temetra was leveraged by Australia-based Energy Queensland to read meters for its 2.3 million strong user base across rural and urban locations. Temetra will aid in optimizing operations and enhancing route optimization and meter reading efficiencies for Energy Queensland.
Itron currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of ITRI have lost 14.9% compared with the sub-industry’s decline of 12.7% in the past year.
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Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks from the broader technology space are Arista Networks ANET, Plexus PLXS and Super Micro Computer SMCI, each currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Arista Networks 2022 earnings is pegged at $4.37 per share, up 8.2% in the past 60 days. The long-term earnings growth rate is anticipated to be 17.5%.
Arista Networks’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the last four quarters, the average being 12.7%. Shares of ANET have jumped 7.8% in the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Plexus 2023 earnings is pegged at $5.98 per share, rising 8.9% in the past 60 days.
Plexus’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, the average being 17.5%. Shares of PLXS have gained 25.9% in the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Super Micro Computer’s fiscal 2023 earnings is pegged at $9.58 per share, rising 27.7% in the past 60 days.
Super Micro Computer’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all of the last four quarters, the average being 9.4%. Shares of SMCI have soared 123.4% in the past year.
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