SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) Trading Down 3.5%

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) shares traded down 3.5% on Friday . The company traded as low as $52.91 and last traded at $52.91. 15,105 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 175,411 shares. The stock had previously closed at $54.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded SJW Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com upgraded SJW Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on SJW Group from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $66.00.

SJW Group Stock Down 2.4 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $55.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.58.

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.01). SJW Group had a return on equity of 7.03% and a net margin of 12.48%. The firm had revenue of $171.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $161.23 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that SJW Group will post 2.75 EPS for the current year.

SJW Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 6th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 3rd. SJW Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SJW Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Comerica Bank increased its holdings in shares of SJW Group by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 18,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,215,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its holdings in shares of SJW Group by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 35,299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,850,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of SJW Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 5,964 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $390,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its holdings in shares of SJW Group by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 24,552 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,476,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of SJW Group by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 28,693 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,725,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. 84.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SJW Group 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.