Bank of Montreal Can Sells 6,568 Shares of SJW Group (NYSE:SJW)

Bank of Montreal Can reduced its position in shares of SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) by 30.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,143 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,568 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in SJW Group were worth $745,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of SJW. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of SJW Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 9,015 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in SJW Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 17,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $846,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in SJW Group by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 4,430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in SJW Group by 64.4% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in SJW Group by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 18,930 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $932,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. 84.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

SJW Group Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE:SJW opened at $54.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $53.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.00. The company has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a PE ratio of 19.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.56. SJW Group has a 1-year low of $44.91 and a 1-year high of $62.18.

SJW Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This is a boost from SJW Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. SJW Group’s dividend payout ratio is 58.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SJW. StockNews.com raised shares of SJW Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on SJW Group from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Bank of America raised SJW Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $59.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd.

SJW Group 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.