South Jersey Industries (NYSE:SJI) Reaches New 52-Week High at $36.10

South Jersey Industries, Inc. (NYSE:SJI – Get Rating)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $36.10 and last traded at $36.08, with a volume of 9082649 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $35.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SJI shares. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of South Jersey Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of South Jersey Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 27th.

South Jersey Industries Stock Up 0.5 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The business’s 50 day moving average is $35.27 and its 200 day moving average is $34.50.

South Jersey Industries (NYSE:SJI – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 2nd. The utilities provider reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.16) by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $608.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $400.86 million. South Jersey Industries had a return on equity of 9.30% and a net margin of 5.99%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that South Jersey Industries, Inc. will post 1.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

South Jersey Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 27th. Investors of record on Monday, December 19th were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 16th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On South Jersey Industries

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SJI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of South Jersey Industries by 67.4% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 427,453 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $14,768,000 after purchasing an additional 172,033 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of South Jersey Industries during the first quarter worth $278,000. Natixis Advisors L.P. acquired a new position in shares of South Jersey Industries during the first quarter worth $508,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in shares of South Jersey Industries by 1.5% during the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 30,202 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,041,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of South Jersey Industries by 55.0% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 54,789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,893,000 after purchasing an additional 19,433 shares in the last quarter. 83.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

South Jersey Industries Company Profile

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South Jersey Industries, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides energy-related products and services. The company engages in the purchase, transmission, and sale of natural gas. It also sells natural gas and pipeline transportation capacity on a wholesale basis to residential, commercial, and industrial customers on the interstate pipeline system, as well as transports natural gas purchased directly from producers or suppliers to customers.