H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) saw a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,200,349 shares, an increase of 24.3% from the November 30th total of 966,012 shares. Currently, 3.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 438,392 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 438,392 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Currently, 3.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HTO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BTIG Research started coverage on H2O America in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of H2O America in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.50.

H2O America Stock Performance

NASDAQ HTO traded down $0.25 on Wednesday, hitting $49.01. 65,263 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 284,929. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. The business’s fifty day moving average is $47.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.53. H2O America has a 12 month low of $43.75 and a 12 month high of $57.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.56, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.50.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $240.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $232.27 million. H2O America had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 13.59%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that H2O America will post 2.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H2O America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. H2O America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.33%.

Institutional Trading of H2O America

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in H2O America by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 52,449 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,554,000 after buying an additional 628 shares in the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of H2O America in the third quarter worth $40,000. US Bancorp DE purchased a new position in shares of H2O America in the third quarter valued at $62,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV bought a new stake in shares of H2O America during the 3rd quarter valued at $100,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in H2O America during the 3rd quarter worth about $157,000. 84.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.