Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Artesian Resources Co. (NASDAQ:ARTNA)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in Artesian Resources Co. (NASDAQ:ARTNA) by 21.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,012 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 538 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Artesian Resources were worth $83,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ARTNA. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its holdings in Artesian Resources by 153.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 1,478 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 895 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of Artesian Resources by 64.2% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 2,012 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 787 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Artesian Resources by 347.7% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,207 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 1,714 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Artesian Resources in the 4th quarter worth approximately $129,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Artesian Resources by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,241 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.37% of the company’s stock.

Artesian Resources Stock Up 1.5 %

ARTNA opened at $34.87 on Friday. Artesian Resources Co. has a 12 month low of $33.42 and a 12 month high of $57.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $358.81 million, a P/E ratio of 21.01 and a beta of 0.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $35.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.75.

Artesian Resources (NASDAQ:ARTNA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter. Artesian Resources had a return on equity of 7.62% and a net margin of 16.89%. The firm had revenue of $24.55 million for the quarter. As a group, research analysts predict that Artesian Resources Co. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Artesian Resources Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th were given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 8th. Artesian Resources’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Artesian Resources from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. TheStreet downgraded Artesian Resources from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th.

About Artesian Resources

Artesian Resources Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides water, wastewater, and other services in Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The company distributes and sells water to residential, commercial, industrial, governmental, municipal, and utility customers, as well as for public and private fire protection in the states of Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania; and offers wastewater collection, treatment infrastructure, and wastewater services to customers in Delaware.