Merit Financial Group LLC Purchases Shares of 14,396 The York Water Company (NASDAQ:YORW)

Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in The York Water Company (NASDAQ:YORW - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 14,396 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $499,000. Merit Financial Group LLC owned about 0.10% of York Water at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YORW. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in York Water by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 25,755 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $843,000 after buying an additional 1,560 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its position in York Water by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 78,026 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,553,000 after buying an additional 16,209 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in York Water by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 117,264 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,837,000 after buying an additional 19,238 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in York Water during the 4th quarter worth about $434,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in York Water by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 117,405 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,841,000 after buying an additional 739 shares in the last quarter. 49.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

York Water Stock Performance

Shares of YORW stock traded down $0.39 on Friday, reaching $32.28. The stock had a trading volume of 53,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 59,710. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm's 50-day moving average is $33.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $464.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.81 and a beta of 0.72. The York Water Company has a 12 month low of $29.86 and a 12 month high of $41.96.

York Water (NASDAQ:YORW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $18.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.00 million. York Water had a net margin of 28.57% and a return on equity of 9.44%. On average, research analysts expect that The York Water Company will post 1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

York Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.2192 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. York Water's payout ratio is 63.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of York Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th.

York Water Profile

The York Water Company impounds, purifies, and distributes drinking water. It owns and operates three wastewater collection systems; ten wastewater collection and treatment systems; and two reservoirs, including Lake Williams and Lake Redman, which hold approximately 2.2 billion gallons of water. The company also operates a 15-mile pipeline from the Susquehanna River to Lake Redman; and owns satellite groundwater systems in York, Adams, and Lancaster Counties, as well as two impounding dams on primary system located in York and Springfield Townships.