H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Short Interest Update

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 5,143,556 shares, an increase of 210.3% from the February 26th total of 1,657,368 shares. Approximately 14.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 979,415 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.3 days.

H2O America Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HTO traded up $1.19 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $57.91. The company had a trading volume of 553,612 shares, compared to its average volume of 475,450. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $54.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.63. The stock has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.48. H2O America has a 1 year low of $43.75 and a 1 year high of $59.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter. H2O America had a return on equity of 7.08% and a net margin of 12.81%.The firm had revenue of $194.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.73 million. H2O America has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.080-3.180 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that H2O America will post 2.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H2O America Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. H2O America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HTO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $61.00 target price on shares of H2O America in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of H2O America in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded H2O America from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. UBS Group set a $61.00 target price on H2O America in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Citigroup raised H2O America to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H2O America

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HTO. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of H2O America by 194.9% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of H2O America by 1,020.8% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of H2O America during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC purchased a new position in H2O America in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in H2O America by 139.8% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 976 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. 84.29% of the stock is currently 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.