York Water (NASDAQ:YORW) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• Technical move: York Water shares crossed above their 200-day moving average of $32.08, trading as high as $32.49 and last at $32.28 on volume of about 78,317 shares.
• Earnings and dividend: The company reported Q EPS of $0.36 versus a $0.32 consensus (revenue $19.47M vs. $20.0M) and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.228 per share (annualized $0.91, ~2.8% yield; DPR 65.47%).
• Analysts and ownership: Street analysts maintain a consensus "Hold" rating (recently upgraded by Wall Street Zen), and institutional investors own roughly 49.9% of the stock with recent stake increases from firms like AQR and Mercer.

The York Water Company (NASDAQ:YORW - Get Free Report) shares passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $32.08 and traded as high as $32.49. York Water shares last traded at $32.28, with a volume of 78,317 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

YORW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of York Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of York Water in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, York Water has a consensus rating of "Hold".

York Water Trading Down 0.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $466.45 million, a PE ratio of 23.22 and a beta of 0.70. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $31.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $32.08.

York Water (NASDAQ:YORW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $19.47 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.00 million. York Water had a net margin of 25.89% and a return on equity of 8.49%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The York Water Company will post 1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

York Water Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. York Water's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.47%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of YORW. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of York Water by 25.1% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,669 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,938 shares in the last quarter. Odyssean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of York Water during the fourth quarter worth about $392,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of York Water by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 108,245 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,447,000 after purchasing an additional 20,371 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new stake in shares of York Water during the fourth quarter worth about $262,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of York Water by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,609 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.86% of the company's stock.

About York Water

York Water Company NASDAQ: YORW is an investor-owned regulated water utility headquartered in York, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1816, it is the oldest publicly traded water utility in the United States. The company's principal operations involve the collection, treatment and distribution of potable water to residential, commercial and industrial customers under rate schedules approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

York Water Company's service territory covers portions of south-central Pennsylvania, including York County and neighboring Adams and Franklin counties.

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