Short Interest in SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) Expands By 25.5%

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 559,400 shares, an increase of 25.5% from the June 30th total of 445,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 189,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on SJW. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on SJW Group from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded SJW Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Insider Transactions at SJW Group

In other news, insider Craig J. Patla sold 1,400 shares of SJW Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total transaction of $77,868.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $183,546. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SJW Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CWM LLC raised its holdings in SJW Group by 184.2% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 520 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new stake in SJW Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in SJW Group by 760.2% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,228 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $146,000 after purchasing an additional 1,969 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in SJW Group by 87.0% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,608 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 1,679 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inceptionr LLC bought a new stake in SJW Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $220,000. 84.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SJW Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SJW opened at $60.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.73. The company has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 22.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.61. SJW Group has a 12-month low of $51.17 and a 12-month high of $72.17.

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $149.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $140.60 million. SJW Group had a return on equity of 7.10% and a net margin of 12.48%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that SJW Group will post 2.75 EPS for the current year.

SJW Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 5th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 5th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.63%. SJW Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.15%.

About SJW Group

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.