Short Interest in The York Water Company (NASDAQ:YORW) Drops By 20.9%

The York Water Company (NASDAQ:YORW) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 431,402 shares, a drop of 20.9% from the December 15th total of 545,373 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 78,368 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.5 days. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 78,368 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.5 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on YORW shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded York Water from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of York Water in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

York Water Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:YORW traded up $0.14 on Friday, reaching $33.94. The company had a trading volume of 71,163 shares, compared to its average volume of 65,971. The stock has a market capitalization of $490.09 million, a P/E ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $32.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.61. York Water has a twelve month low of $29.68 and a twelve month high of $36.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

York Water (NASDAQ:YORW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.05. York Water had a return on equity of 8.56% and a net margin of 26.06%.The business had revenue of $20.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.00 million. On average, equities analysts expect that York Water will post 1.43 EPS for the current year.

York Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a $0.228 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from York Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. York Water’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.47%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On York Water

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Perigon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of York Water in the fourth quarter valued at about $264,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in York Water by 21.8% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,934 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 1,602 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of York Water by 211.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,367 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 928 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of York Water by 126.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 16,645 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 9,294 shares during the period. Finally, Penn Capital Management Company LLC grew its position in York Water by 59.9% during the third quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 94,612 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,878,000 after buying an additional 35,447 shares in the last quarter. 49.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.