Cerity Partners LLC Invests $70.83 Million in H2O America $HTO

Key Points

• Cerity Partners LLC opened a new position in H2O America, buying 1,445,802 shares worth about $70.83 million and ending the quarter with roughly 4.04% ownership.
• H2O America has continued to attract institutional interest, with several other funds also adding positions; overall, institutional investors own 84.29% of the company.
• The stock has mixed but generally positive sentiment from analysts, with a Moderate Buy consensus and a target price of $62.17. The company also recently beat quarterly EPS estimates, reported a $0.44 quarterly dividend, and yielded about 3.1%.

Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,445,802 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $70,830,000. Cerity Partners LLC owned about 4.04% of H2O America at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its position in H2O America by 354.9% during the fourth quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 81,927 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,014,000 after acquiring an additional 63,918 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new position in H2O America during the fourth quarter worth $1,420,000. SouthState Bank Corp bought a new position in H2O America during the fourth quarter worth $80,000. Syon Capital LLC bought a new position in H2O America during the fourth quarter worth $202,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in H2O America during the fourth quarter worth $443,000. Institutional investors own 84.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $61.00 target price on shares of H2O America in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of H2O America in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of H2O America in a research report on Monday, May 11th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of H2O America from $63.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on shares of H2O America in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.17.

H2O America Stock Up 2.6%

HTO opened at $57.64 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $58.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 2.02. H2O America has a twelve month low of $43.75 and a twelve month high of $61.87. The firm has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a PEG ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.35.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. H2O America had a net margin of 12.87% and a return on equity of 6.76%. The business had revenue of $183.29 million for the quarter. H2O America has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.080-3.180 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that H2O America will post 2.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H2O America Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. H2O America's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.27%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Atlas Infrastructure Partners bought 50,385 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $59.06 per share, with a total value of $2,975,738.10. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 4,582,469 shares in the company, valued at $270,640,619.14. This trade represents a 1.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Atlas Holdings Ltd Gip bought 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, for a total transaction of $2,975,738.10. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 4,582,469 shares in the company, valued at $270,640,619.14. The trade was a 1.11% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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