SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the four ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $66.00.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of SJW Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th.

Insider Activity at SJW Group

In other news, insider Craig J. Patla sold 1,400 shares of SJW Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total value of $77,868.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $183,546. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SJW Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Comerica Bank grew its holdings in shares of SJW Group by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 18,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,215,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in shares of SJW Group by 0.6% during the first quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 35,299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,850,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in SJW Group by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 5,964 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $390,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in SJW Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 18,427 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,204,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its holdings in SJW Group by 1.3% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 25,432 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,439,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. 84.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SJW Group Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:SJW opened at $54.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $54.89 and a 200 day moving average of $57.96. SJW Group has a 52-week low of $51.17 and a 52-week high of $73.14.

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.01. SJW Group had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 6.98%. The firm had revenue of $149.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $140.60 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that SJW Group will post 2.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SJW Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 6th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.95%. SJW Group’s payout ratio is 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.