H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Upgraded to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of H2O America in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of H2O America in a report on Friday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of H2O America from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of H2O America from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 target price on shares of H2O America in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, H2O America currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.17.

H2O America Price Performance

Shares of H2O America stock opened at $57.54 on Monday. 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 $57.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.34 and a beta of 0.35. H2O America has a one year low of $43.75 and a one year high of $61.87.

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

H2O America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. H2O America’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Atlas Infrastructure Partners acquired 50,385 shares of H2O America stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $59.06 per share, with a total value of $2,975,738.10. Following the transaction, the insider owned 4,582,469 shares in the company, valued at $270,640,619.14. This trade represents a 1.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Atlas Holdings Ltd Gip acquired 50,385 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly 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 SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On H2O America

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. US Bancorp DE purchased a new position in shares of H2O America during the third quarter valued at about $62,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in H2O America in the third quarter worth about $687,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in H2O America during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $243,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB bought a new stake in H2O America during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $514,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV bought a new stake in H2O America during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $100,000. 84.29% of the stock is 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.