H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $49.38 and traded as high as $55.00. H2O America shares last traded at $54.89, with a volume of 255,122 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on HTO. Citigroup upgraded shares of H2O America to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research lowered H2O America from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of H2O America in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group set a $61.00 price target on H2O America in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, BTIG Research upgraded H2O America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.00.

H2O America Price Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $50.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68.

H2O America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. H2O America’s payout ratio is currently 55.87%.

Institutional Trading of H2O America

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of H2O America by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 61,651 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,020,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in H2O America by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 21,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,070,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in shares of H2O America by 194.9% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of H2O America by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 18,331 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $898,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in H2O America by 1,020.8% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. 84.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.