SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) Receives $66.00 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the four research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $66.00.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SJW. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on SJW Group from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn raised SJW Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded SJW Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th.

SJW Group Stock Up 1.0 %

SJW opened at $53.09 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $56.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company has a market cap of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.58. SJW Group has a 52 week low of $51.37 and a 52 week high of $79.48.

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $171.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $161.23 million. SJW Group had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 7.10%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that SJW Group will post 2.75 EPS for the current year.

SJW Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 5th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from SJW Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 2nd. SJW Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SJW Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP purchased a new position in SJW Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in SJW Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in SJW Group by 263.8% during the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 462 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new stake in SJW Group during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in SJW Group during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. 84.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.