Short Interest in H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Drops By 15.4%

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

H2O America Trading Up 2.8%

HTO stock opened at $54.89 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $50.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. H2O America has a fifty-two week low of $43.75 and a fifty-two week high of $57.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.48.

H2O America Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BTIG Research raised H2O America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of H2O America in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group set a $61.00 price target on shares of H2O America in a report on Friday, January 9th. Citigroup upgraded shares of H2O America to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of H2O America from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, H2O America presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.00.

Institutional Trading of H2O America

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in H2O America by 194.9% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of H2O America by 1,020.8% during 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. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of H2O America during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC bought a new position in H2O America in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in H2O America by 139.8% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 976 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. 84.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.