North Star Investment Management Corp. Lowers Stock Holdings in Global Water Resources, Inc. $GWRS

North Star Investment Management Corp. decreased its position in Global Water Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:GWRS) by 17.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 289,448 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 62,000 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp.’s holdings in Global Water Resources were worth $2,981,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new position in shares of Global Water Resources during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Global Water Resources by 258.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,898 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 2,812 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Global Water Resources during the 1st quarter worth about $109,000. CWM LLC increased its position in Global Water Resources by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,918 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 932 shares during the period. Finally, Atria Investments Inc bought a new stake in shares of Global Water Resources in the 2nd quarter valued at about $160,000. 27.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Global Water Resources Price Performance

NASDAQ GWRS opened at $8.64 on Tuesday. Global Water Resources, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.28 and a 12-month high of $12.32. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $8.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $248.40 million, a P/E ratio of 54.00 and a beta of 0.96.

Global Water Resources (NASDAQ:GWRS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.02). Global Water Resources had a return on equity of 6.84% and a net margin of 7.87%.The business had revenue of $15.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.20 million. Analysts forecast that Global Water Resources, Inc. will post 0.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Global Water Resources Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.0253 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Global Water Resources’s dividend payout ratio is 187.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on GWRS shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Global Water Resources in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Global Water Resources from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Roth Capital set a $15.00 price target on Global Water Resources in a research report on Monday, November 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Global Water Resources presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.00.

About Global Water Resources

Global Water Resources, Inc (NASDAQ:GWRS) is a publicly traded holding company based in Scottsdale, Arizona, specializing in the ownership and management of water and wastewater utilities. The company provides critical potable water delivery, wastewater collection and treatment, and reclaimed water services to residential, commercial and industrial customers across select communities in Central and Southern Arizona.

The company operates multiple regulated utility systems, serving communities such as Anthem, Biltmore, Florence and San Tan Valley.