Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Has $462,000 Stake in New Jersey Resources Co. (NYSE:NJR)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lowered its position in shares of New Jersey Resources Co. (NYSE:NJR) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 303 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in New Jersey Resources were worth $462,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of New Jersey Resources during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in New Jersey Resources during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in New Jersey Resources by 9,400.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 665 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 658 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of New Jersey Resources by 69.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 839 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of New Jersey Resources in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

New Jersey Resources Stock Down 1.5 %

New Jersey Resources stock opened at $48.46 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $4.86 billion, a PE ratio of 14.59 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $47.40 and its 200 day moving average is $47.31. New Jersey Resources Co. has a 12-month low of $40.62 and a 12-month high of $51.95.

New Jersey Resources (NYSE:NJR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.15. New Jersey Resources had a net margin of 18.25% and a return on equity of 15.72%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.74 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that New Jersey Resources Co. will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

New Jersey Resources Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. New Jersey Resources’s payout ratio is 54.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on NJR shares. StockNews.com upgraded New Jersey Resources from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of New Jersey Resources from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of New Jersey Resources from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of New Jersey Resources from $54.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.75.

About New Jersey Resources

New Jersey Resources Corporation, an energy services holding company, distributes natural gas. The company operates through four segments: Natural Gas Distribution, Clean Energy Ventures, Energy Services, and Storage and Transportation. The Natural Gas Distribution segment offers regulated natural gas utility services to approximately 576,000 customers in Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, and Sussex counties in New Jersey; provides capacity and storage management services; and participates in the off-system sales and capacity release markets.