Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Purchases Shares of 16,600 H2O America $HTO

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 16,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $974,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in HTO. Vanguard Group Inc. bought a new stake in H2O America in the 4th quarter valued at about $133,834,000. Amundi bought a new stake in shares of H2O America during the third quarter valued at approximately $105,965,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of H2O America during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $70,830,000. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of H2O America during the third quarter worth approximately $64,063,000. Finally, Nuance Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of H2O America during the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,420,000. 84.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on HTO. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating on shares of H2O America in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of H2O America from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. TD Cowen began coverage on H2O America in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They set a “hold” rating and a $64.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on H2O America in a report on Monday, May 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on H2O America from $63.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, H2O America presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.17.

H2O America Stock Performance

HTO stock opened at $62.42 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a P/E/G ratio of 6.98 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50 day moving average of $57.93 and a 200-day moving average of $55.71. H2O America has a 12-month low of $43.75 and a 12-month high of $62.68.

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.02. H2O America had a return on equity of 6.76% and a net margin of 12.87%.The business had revenue of $183.29 million for the quarter. H2O America has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.080-3.180 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that H2O America will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current year.

H2O America Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. H2O America’s payout ratio is 60.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Atlas Infrastructure Partners acquired 50,385 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $59.06 per share, for a total transaction of $2,975,738.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 4,582,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $270,640,619.14. This represents a 1.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Atlas Holdings Ltd Gip acquired 50,385 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $59.06 per share, for a total transaction of $2,975,738.10. Following the transaction, the insider owned 4,582,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $270,640,619.14. This trade represents a 1.11% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 102,902 shares of company stock valued at $6,081,017. 0.52% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

H2O America 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.