H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $62.1667.

HTO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of H2O America in a research note on Monday, May 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research upgraded H2O America from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on H2O America in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on H2O America from $63.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut H2O America from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th.

Insider Activity at H2O America

In other news, major shareholder Atlas Holdings Ltd Gip acquired 50,385 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $59.06 per share, with a total value of $2,975,738.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 4,582,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $270,640,619.14. This represents a 1.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Atlas Infrastructure Partners sold 1,686 shares of H2O America stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.73, for a total transaction of $102,390.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 4,610,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $279,986,494.77. This trade represents a 0.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 102,902 shares of company stock valued at $6,081,017. Company insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H2O America

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HTO. Vanguard Group Inc. acquired a new position in H2O America during the 4th quarter valued at about $133,834,000. Amundi acquired a new stake in shares of H2O America during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $105,965,000. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of H2O America during the 4th quarter worth approximately $70,830,000. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of H2O America during the third quarter worth approximately $64,063,000. Finally, Nuance Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of H2O America during the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,420,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.29% of the company’s stock.

H2O America Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of HTO stock opened at $62.42 on Friday. H2O America has a one year low of $43.75 and a one year high of $62.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $57.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.61. The stock has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.79 and a beta of 0.35.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $183.29 million for the quarter. H2O America had a net margin of 12.87% and a return on equity of 6.76%. H2O America has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.080-3.180 EPS. Analysts predict that H2O America will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current year.

H2O America Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. H2O America’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.27%.

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.