13,101 Shares in New Jersey Resources Co. (NYSE:NJR) Acquired by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of New Jersey Resources Co. (NYSE:NJR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 13,101 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $611,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of New Jersey Resources by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 28,781 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,343,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC increased its stake in New Jersey Resources by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 34,643 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,616,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in New Jersey Resources by 69.8% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 839 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of New Jersey Resources by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC now owns 25,522 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,191,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of New Jersey Resources by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 122,953 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,736,000 after buying an additional 408 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

New Jersey Resources Price Performance

NJR stock traded down $0.57 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $48.24. 70,818 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 533,667. New Jersey Resources Co. has a fifty-two week low of $41.58 and a fifty-two week high of $51.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $48.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.79. The stock has a market cap of $4.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 0.66.

New Jersey Resources (NYSE:NJR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.11. New Jersey Resources had a net margin of 18.25% and a return on equity of 15.72%. The business had revenue of $913.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $732.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 38.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that New Jersey Resources Co. will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

New Jersey Resources Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. New Jersey Resources's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NJR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of New Jersey Resources from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on New Jersey Resources in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $51.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim raised their price target on New Jersey Resources from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on New Jersey Resources from $54.00 to $52.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, New Street Research set a $51.00 price objective on New Jersey Resources in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.33.

Insider Activity at New Jersey Resources

In related news, CFO Roberto Bel sold 1,173 shares of New Jersey Resources stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $58,650.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 22,649 shares in the company, valued at $1,132,450. This trade represents a 4.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

New Jersey Resources Profile

New Jersey Resources Corporation, an energy services holding company, distributes natural gas. The company operates through four segments: Natural Gas Distribution, Clean Energy Ventures, Energy Services, and Storage and Transportation. The Natural Gas Distribution segment offers regulated natural gas utility services to approximately 576,000 customers in Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, and Sussex counties in New Jersey; provides capacity and storage management services; and participates in the off-system sales and capacity release markets.