Consolidated Water (NASDAQ:CWCO) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ:CWCO) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $32.41 and traded as high as $36.46. Consolidated Water shares last traded at $36.19, with a volume of 80,178 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CWCO shares. Wall Street Zen raised Consolidated Water from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 16th. Weiss Ratings raised Consolidated Water from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $40.00.

Consolidated Water Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $576.51 million, a P/E ratio of 37.31 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $34.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.41.

Consolidated Water (NASDAQ:CWCO) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.10. Consolidated Water had a return on equity of 7.95% and a net margin of 12.90%.The firm had revenue of $35.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.90 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Consolidated Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. Consolidated Water’s payout ratio is presently 57.73%.

Insider Activity at Consolidated Water

In related news, Director Wilmer F. Pergande sold 4,299 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.75, for a total transaction of $145,091.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 31,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,076,085. This trade represents a 11.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Frederick W. Mctaggart sold 1,848 shares of Consolidated Water stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.76, for a total transaction of $66,084.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 287,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,274,205.60. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 7,200 shares of company stock valued at $246,978. Company insiders own 6.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Consolidated Water

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Centaurus Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Consolidated Water in the 3rd quarter worth about $111,000. PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Consolidated Water in the third quarter worth about $258,000. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Consolidated Water in the third quarter worth about $290,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Consolidated Water in the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Consolidated Water by 3.5% during the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 17,121 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $604,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the period. 55.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Consolidated Water

Consolidated Water Co Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, designs, constructs, manages, and operates water production and water treatment plants primarily in the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, and the United States. The company operates through four segments: Retail, Bulk, Services, and Manufacturing.