H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $62.17 and last traded at $62.0460, with a volume of 36191 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $60.74.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on HTO shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of H2O America from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of H2O America in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised H2O America from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on H2O America in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on H2O America in a research note on Monday, May 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, H2O America currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.17.

H2O America Trading Up 2.7%

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a PEG ratio of 6.79 and a beta of 0.35. 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.52.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $183.29 million during 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. As a group, analysts forecast that H2O America will post 2.7 EPS for the current year.

H2O America Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at H2O America

In related news, major shareholder Atlas Infrastructure Partners bought 50,385 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $59.06 per share, with a total value of $2,975,738.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 4,582,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $270,640,619.14. This represents a 1.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Atlas Holdings Ltd Gip bought 50,385 shares of H2O America stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $59.06 per share, for a total transaction of $2,975,738.10. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 4,582,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $270,640,619.14. The trade was a 1.11% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in H2O America by 194.9% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of H2O America by 1,020.8% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 541 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of H2O America by 44.6% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 661 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of H2O America in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of H2O America in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.