21,817 Shares in H2O America $HTO Acquired by Ethic Inc.

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. opened a new position in H2O America, buying 21,817 shares worth about $1.07 million in the fourth quarter. The stake represented roughly 0.06% of the company.
• H2O America reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, with EPS of $0.50 versus estimates of $0.48, and it set FY 2026 guidance at $3.08 to $3.18 EPS. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, equal to a 3.1% annualized yield.
• Analysts are broadly constructive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and average price target of $62.17. Recent insider activity also showed major shareholder Atlas Infrastructure Partners and Atlas Holdings Ltd Gip each buying 50,385 shares.

Ethic Inc. purchased a new position in shares of H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 21,817 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,069,000. Ethic Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of H2O America as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HTO. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of H2O America in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC bought a new position in H2O America during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. US Bancorp DE bought a new position in H2O America during the third quarter worth $62,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV bought a new position in H2O America during the third quarter worth $100,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in H2O America in the fourth quarter worth $121,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.29% of the company's stock.

H2O America Stock Performance

HTO opened at $56.52 on Thursday. H2O America has a 1-year low of $43.75 and a 1-year high of $61.87. The company has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.36, a PEG ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.35. The company's fifty day moving average price is $58.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.02. H2O America had a net margin of 12.87% and a return on equity of 6.76%. The firm had revenue of $183.29 million during the quarter. H2O America has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.080-3.180 EPS. On average, analysts expect that H2O America will post 2.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H2O America Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. H2O America's payout ratio is currently 60.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HTO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of H2O America in a research note on Monday. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $61.00 target price on shares of H2O America in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen began coverage on H2O America in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $64.00 target price for the company. Barclays dropped their price target on H2O America from $63.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on H2O America in a report on Friday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Atlas Infrastructure Partners acquired 50,385 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $59.06 per share, with a total value of $2,975,738.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 4,582,469 shares in the company, valued at $270,640,619.14. This trade represents a 1.11% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Atlas Holdings Ltd Gip bought 50,385 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $59.06 per share, for a total transaction of $2,975,738.10. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 4,582,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $270,640,619.14. This represents a 1.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.52% of the company's stock.

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.

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