Analysts Set SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) PT at $54.00

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the three analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $54.00.

Several research firms recently commented on SJW. Bank of America raised shares of SJW Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $59.00 to $55.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of SJW Group from $61.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of SJW Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SJW Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of SJW Group by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 5,484 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in SJW Group by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 402,453 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $19,809,000 after acquiring an additional 17,418 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its position in SJW Group by 123.4% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 668 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the period. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC purchased a new position in SJW Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $230,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC lifted its position in SJW Group by 139.0% during the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 10,279 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 5,979 shares during the period. 84.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SJW Group Price Performance

SJW stock opened at $52.36 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. SJW Group has a 52 week low of $44.91 and a 52 week high of $62.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $49.78 and its 200 day moving average is $54.85. The firm has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.65.

SJW Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. This is a boost from SJW Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. SJW Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.97%.

SJW Group Company 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.