H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) shares saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 614,236 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 99% from the previous session’s volume of 308,922 shares.The stock last traded at $55.01 and had previously closed at $54.41.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HTO shares. Citigroup raised H2O America to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of H2O America in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $61.00 target price on the stock. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of H2O America in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of H2O America from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of H2O America in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.25.

H2O America Stock Up 2.8%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $52.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.77. The stock has a market cap of $2.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.16, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter. H2O America had a net margin of 12.81% and a return on equity of 7.08%. The firm had revenue of $194.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $195.73 million. H2O America has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.080-3.180 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that H2O America will post 2.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H2O America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. H2O America’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.27%.

Institutional Trading of H2O America

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTO. US Bancorp DE bought a new stake in H2O America in the third quarter worth about $62,000. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in H2O America during the third quarter worth approximately $687,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in H2O America in the third quarter worth approximately $243,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB acquired a new position in H2O America in the third quarter worth approximately $514,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of H2O America during the 3rd quarter valued at $100,000. Institutional investors own 84.29% of the company’s stock.

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.