CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. Buys New Position in H2O America $HTO

CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new stake in H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 187,026 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $9,108,000. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. owned about 0.52% of H2O America as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of H2O America in the third quarter worth about $1,081,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co bought a new position in shares of H2O America in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,762,000. Zimmer Partners LP purchased a new position in H2O America during the third quarter valued at approximately $6,054,000. Voleon Capital Management LP purchased a new position in H2O America during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,071,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in H2O America during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $754,000. 84.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

H2O America Price Performance

HTO opened at $56.30 on Friday. H2O America has a 1 year low of $43.75 and a 1 year high of $59.00. The firm has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of 19.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $54.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $50.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter. H2O America had a return on equity of 7.08% and a net margin of 12.81%.The company had revenue of $194.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $195.73 million. H2O America has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.080-3.180 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that H2O America will post 2.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H2O America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. H2O America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on HTO. Barclays raised their price target on shares of H2O America from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of H2O America from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of H2O America in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group set a $61.00 target price on H2O America in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded H2O America from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.00.

About H2O America

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.