H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $59.00 and last traded at $58.97, with a volume of 567943 shares. The stock had previously closed at $57.97.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HTO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of H2O America from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Citigroup upgraded H2O America to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of H2O America in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird began coverage on H2O America in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group set a $61.00 price target on H2O America in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.00.

H2O America Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.70. The business’s 50-day moving average is $54.87 and its 200-day moving average is $50.75. The company has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a PE ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.48.

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

H2O America Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. H2O America’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.27%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H2O America

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. bought a new position in H2O America in the 4th quarter worth about $133,834,000. Amundi purchased a new position in H2O America in the third quarter worth about $105,965,000. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new position in H2O America in the fourth quarter worth about $70,830,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of H2O America by 123.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,368,180 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $67,027,000 after buying an additional 754,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of H2O America by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,359,773 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $66,615,000 after buying an additional 59,799 shares in the last quarter. 84.29% of the stock is currently owned by 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.