Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Has $5.42 Million Position in New Jersey Resources Co. (NYSE:NJR)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of New Jersey Resources Co. (NYSE:NJR - Free Report) by 25.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 116,229 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 23,907 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.12% of New Jersey Resources worth $5,423,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in New Jersey Resources during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in New Jersey Resources by 9,400.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 665 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in New Jersey Resources by 69.8% in 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 during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in New Jersey Resources in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in New Jersey Resources during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at New Jersey Resources

In other New Jersey Resources news, CFO Roberto Bel sold 2,346 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.58, for a total value of $113,968.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 23,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,157,272.76. This represents a 8.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

New Jersey Resources Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE NJR traded down $0.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $47.29. 648,323 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 536,711. The business has a 50 day moving average of $48.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.24 and a beta of 0.66. New Jersey Resources Co. has a 1 year low of $41.58 and a 1 year high of $51.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29.

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

New Jersey Resources Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.81%. New Jersey Resources's payout ratio is currently 43.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

New Jersey Resources Company 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.