First Trust Advisors LP Acquires 29,594 Shares of H2O America $HTO

First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO - Free Report) by 5.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 531,987 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 29,594 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 1.27% of H2O America worth $31,212,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of H2O America by 194.9% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 541 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in H2O America by 44.6% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 661 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC bought a new stake in H2O America in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in H2O America by 139.8% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 976 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares during the period. 84.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Atlas Infrastructure Partners acquired 2,784 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $62.03 per share, with a total value of $172,691.52. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 4,615,265 shares of the company's stock, valued at $286,284,887.95. This trade represents a 0.06% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HTO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $67.00 price objective on shares of H2O America in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research raised shares of H2O America from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company initiated 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 for the company. Weiss Ratings raised shares of H2O America from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on shares of H2O America in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They set a "hold" rating and a $64.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, H2O America has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $64.33.

H2O America Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ HTO opened at $64.25 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $59.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.34. The company has a market cap of $2.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.60 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. H2O America has a 12-month low of $43.75 and a 12-month high of $67.09.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $210.47 million for the quarter. H2O America had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 6.86%. H2O America has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.080-3.180 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that H2O America will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H2O America Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. H2O America's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.27%.

H2O America News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting H2O America this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and adjusted earnings exceeded expectations. Second-quarter operating revenue increased 6% to $210.5 million, while adjusted diluted EPS was $0.72, topping the $0.70 consensus estimate. Net income also rose 8% to $26.6 million. H2O America Q2 revenue rises 6% to $210.5 million
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year guidance was maintained above analyst expectations. H2O America reiterated 2026 standalone adjusted EPS guidance of $3.08-$3.18, compared with the roughly $2.74 consensus cited in the company update. The guidance excludes the pending Quadvest acquisition and related financing. H2O America Announces Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition and infrastructure investment support the growth outlook. The company expects its Quadvest acquisition to close around the end of the third quarter or early fourth quarter of 2026. Quadvest active connections have increased 10% this year, while contracted and pending-development connections rose 14%. H2O America also invested $206.9 million in infrastructure through June 30. H2O America 2026 Q2 Results Earnings Call Presentation
• Positive Sentiment: The quarterly dividend was maintained at $0.44 per share. The dividend is payable September 1 to shareholders of record August 10, providing an annualized payout of $1.76 per share and supporting the stock’s income appeal. Brokerages Set H2O America Price Target at $63.33
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported EPS declined year over year. GAAP diluted EPS fell to $0.62 from $0.71, although adjusted EPS improved relative to the consensus estimate and better reflects the quarter’s underlying performance.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target support is limited. Brokerages set an average price target of $63.33, modestly below the recent trading level, suggesting that some analysts see limited near-term upside after the earnings-related move. Brokerages Set H2O America Price Target at $63.33

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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