SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) Shares Bought by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of SJW Group (NYSE:SJW - Free Report) by 197.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,317,721 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 873,973 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 4.03% of SJW Group worth $64,858,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in SJW Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 9,015 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in shares of SJW Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 17,198 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $846,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in SJW Group by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 4,430 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in SJW Group by 64.4% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 766 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in SJW Group by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 18,930 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $932,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. 84.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SJW Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SJW traded down $0.13 during trading on Monday, reaching $53.65. The stock had a trading volume of 33,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 228,185. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $1.83 billion, a PE ratio of 19.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.56. SJW Group has a one year low of $44.91 and a one year high of $62.18. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $53.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.88.

SJW Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is a positive change from SJW Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. SJW Group's payout ratio is presently 58.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on SJW Group from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Bank of America upgraded shares of SJW Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of SJW Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

SJW Group Profile

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.