H2O America $HTO Shares Purchased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its stake in H2O America by 14.3% in the first quarter, buying 22,711 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 181,412 shares worth about $10.6 million.
• H2O America reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $0.50 per share versus estimates of $0.48, and it reaffirmed FY 2026 guidance of $3.08 to $3.18 EPS.
• The utility also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 2.8%, while analyst sentiment remains at a consensus Moderate Buy with a $64.33 price target.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO - Free Report) by 14.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 181,412 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 22,711 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.43% of H2O America worth $10,643,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of HTO. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in H2O America by 194.9% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake 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. Farther Finance Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of H2O America during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of H2O America by 139.8% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 976 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE acquired a new stake in H2O America in the 3rd quarter valued at $62,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.29% of the company's stock.

H2O America Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of HTO opened at $63.84 on Friday. H2O America has a 52-week low of $43.75 and a 52-week high of $66.05. The stock has a market cap of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of 21.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.64 and a beta of 0.35. The firm's fifty day moving average is $59.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.10. 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 (NASDAQ:HTO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $183.29 million for the quarter. H2O America has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.080-3.180 EPS. Research analysts forecast that H2O America will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H2O America Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. H2O America's payout ratio is currently 60.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of H2O America in a report on Monday, May 11th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of H2O America in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of H2O America from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of H2O America from $60.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of H2O America from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, H2O America presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $64.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Atlas Infrastructure Partners purchased 2,784 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $62.03 per share, for a total transaction of $172,691.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,615,265 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $286,284,887.95. This trade represents a 0.06% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.52% of the stock is owned by company 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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