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

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

SJW Group Trading Down 1.3 %

SJW opened at $60.87 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $55.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 22.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.61. SJW Group has a twelve month low of $51.17 and a twelve month high of $72.17.

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $149.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $140.60 million. SJW Group had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 7.10%. Equities research analysts anticipate that SJW Group will post 2.75 EPS for the current year.

SJW Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SJW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of SJW Group from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com raised shares of SJW Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Craig J. Patla sold 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total transaction of $77,868.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $183,546. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SJW Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWM LLC lifted its position in SJW Group by 184.2% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 520 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new stake in SJW Group during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in SJW Group by 760.2% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,228 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $146,000 after buying an additional 1,969 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in SJW Group by 87.0% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,608 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $204,000 after buying an additional 1,679 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inceptionr LLC bought a new stake in SJW Group during the 4th quarter worth about $220,000. 84.29% of the stock is owned by 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.