H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. BTIG Research raised shares of H2O America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Barclays began coverage on shares of H2O America in a report on Monday, February 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $61.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group set a $61.00 price target on shares of H2O America in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research lowered H2O America from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of H2O America in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $60.25.

H2O America Trading Up 1.2%

NASDAQ HTO opened at $54.41 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.48. H2O America has a 52-week low of $43.75 and a 52-week high of $57.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $52.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.77.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. H2O America had a return on equity of 7.08% and a net margin of 12.81%.The business had revenue of $194.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.73 million. H2O America has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.080-3.180 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that H2O America will post 2.75 EPS for the current year.

H2O America Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. H2O America’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.27%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of H2O America by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 61,651 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,020,000 after buying an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in H2O America by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 21,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,070,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in H2O America by 194.9% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of H2O America by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 18,331 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $898,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of H2O America by 1,020.8% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the period. 84.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.