The York Water Company (NASDAQ:YORW) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

The York Water Company (NASDAQ:YORW) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 431,402 shares, a drop of 20.9% from the December 15th total of 545,373 shares. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 78,368 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.5 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 78,368 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.5 days. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of York Water in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of York Water from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Trading of York Water

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Perigon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of York Water in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $264,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of York Water by 21.8% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,934 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $283,000 after purchasing an additional 1,602 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of York Water by 211.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,367 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 928 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in York Water by 126.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 16,645 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 9,294 shares during the period. Finally, Penn Capital Management Company LLC lifted its position in York Water by 59.9% during the third quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 94,612 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,878,000 after acquiring an additional 35,447 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.86% of the company’s stock.

York Water Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of YORW stock opened at $33.94 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $32.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.61. York Water has a 1 year low of $29.68 and a 1 year high of $36.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $490.09 million, a P/E ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 0.73.

York Water (NASDAQ:YORW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $20.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.00 million. York Water had a return on equity of 8.56% and a net margin of 26.06%. On average, equities analysts predict that York Water will post 1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

York Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.228 dividend. This is a boost from York Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. York Water’s payout ratio is 65.47%.

York Water Company Profile

York Water Company (NASDAQ: YORW) is an investor-owned regulated water utility headquartered in York, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1816, it is the oldest publicly traded water utility in the United States. The company’s principal operations involve the collection, treatment and distribution of potable water to residential, commercial and industrial customers under rate schedules approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

York Water Company’s service territory covers portions of south-central Pennsylvania, including York County and neighboring Adams and Franklin counties.