H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Reaches New 1-Year High on Insider Buying Activity

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock traded as high as $62.17 and last traded at $62.0460, with a volume of 36191 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.74.

Specifically, major shareholder Atlas Infrastructure Partners purchased 2,132 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $60.76 per share, with a total value of $129,540.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 4,612,481 shares in the company, valued at $280,254,345.56. The trade was a 0.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HTO. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of H2O America from $63.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of H2O America from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on H2O America in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of H2O America in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on H2O America in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set a “hold” rating and a $64.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.17.

H2O America Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 6.98 and a beta of 0.35. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $57.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.66.

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

H2O America Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. H2O America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.27%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in H2O America by 22.0% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in H2O America by 44.6% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 661 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of H2O America by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 61,651 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,020,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of H2O America by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 21,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,070,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. 84.29% of the stock is owned by 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.