Sempra Energy (SRE) will soon make an announcement as to which company will win the estimated $400 million smart meter contract.  It had been thought that Itron (ITRI) would win the contract, but today Esco Technologies (ESE) announced it was selected by Sempra for “negotiation of a definitive agreement”. 

RBC Capital Markets analyst Stuart Bush called the move unusual and said it implies Esco has a leading position in negotiations.  Stifel Nicolaus analyst Jeff Osborne … Read the rest