H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) Reaches New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• HTO hit a new 52-week high — shares traded as high as $59.82 (last $59.8110) on volume ~372,781 and were up about 2.8%.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but tilting positive — the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $62.00, with ratings ranging from Strong Buy/Buy to Hold/Sell.
• Key fundamentals and income profile — Q4 EPS was $0.46, FY2026 guidance is $3.08–$3.18, P/E ~20.5 and market cap ~$2.16B, and the company pays a $0.44 quarterly dividend (2.9% yield) with ~60% payout ratio and ~84% institutional ownership.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $59.82 and last traded at $59.8110, with a volume of 372781 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $58.20.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of H2O America from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of H2O America in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of H2O America in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of H2O America from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of H2O America to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.00.

H2O America Trading Up 2.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business's fifty day moving average is $55.87 and its 200 day moving average is $51.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.42.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter. H2O America had a net margin of 12.81% and a return on equity of 7.08%. The business had revenue of $194.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $195.73 million. H2O America has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.080-3.180 EPS. Equities analysts predict that H2O America will post 2.75 earnings per share for the current year.

H2O America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. H2O America's payout ratio is presently 60.27%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On H2O America

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTO. Vanguard Group Inc. acquired a new stake in H2O America in the 4th quarter valued at $133,834,000. Amundi acquired a new stake in H2O America in the 3rd quarter valued at $105,965,000. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in H2O America in the 4th quarter valued at $70,830,000. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new stake in H2O America in the 3rd quarter valued at $64,063,000. Finally, Nuance Investments LLC acquired a new stake in H2O America in the 4th quarter valued at $44,420,000. 84.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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