H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Short Interest Down 15.4% in January

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,398,626 shares, a decrease of 15.4% from the January 15th total of 1,652,534 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 305,041 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.6 days. Approximately 3.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 3.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 305,041 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.6 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HTO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group set a $61.00 price target on shares of H2O America in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of H2O America in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. BTIG Research raised H2O America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research lowered H2O America from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup upgraded H2O America to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.00.

H2O America Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:HTO traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $54.52. The stock had a trading volume of 252,729 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,890. The firm has a market cap of $1.95 billion, a PE ratio of 17.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. H2O America has a twelve month low of $43.75 and a twelve month high of $57.17.

H2O America Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. H2O America’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.87%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of H2O America during the fourth quarter worth about $133,834,000. Amundi acquired a new stake in H2O America during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $105,965,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in H2O America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $70,830,000. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of H2O America in the third quarter valued at approximately $64,063,000. Finally, Nuance Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of H2O America during the fourth quarter worth $44,420,000. 84.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About H2O America

SJW Group, through its subsidiaries, provides water utility and other related services in the United States. It operates in Water Utility Services and Real Estate Services segments. The company engages in the production, purchase, storage, purification, distribution, wholesale, and retail sale of water and wastewater services; and supplies groundwater from wells, surface water from watershed run-off and diversion, reclaimed water, and imported water purchased from the Santa Clara Valley Water District.