H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Sees Large Volume Increase – Here’s Why

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) saw strong trading volume on Monday . 360,174 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 26% from the previous session’s volume of 487,687 shares.The stock last traded at $58.9650 and had previously closed at $59.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on HTO shares. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of H2O America from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup raised H2O America to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of H2O America in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 price target on shares of H2O America in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of H2O America from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.00.

H2O America Trading Down 0.8%

The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a market cap of $2.12 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $55.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.10.

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

H2O America Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On H2O America

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HTO. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of H2O America by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 61,651 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,020,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd increased its position in H2O America by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 21,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,070,000 after buying an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in H2O America by 194.9% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in H2O America by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 18,331 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $898,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of H2O America by 1,020.8% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.29% of the company’s stock.

H2O America Company Profile

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.