Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ:CWCO) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ:CWCO - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 802,100 shares, a growth of 37.0% from the March 15th total of 585,500 shares. Approximately 5.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 128,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.2 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Consolidated Water news, CEO Frederick W. Mctaggart sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total transaction of $56,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 271,995 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,615,860. This trade represents a 0.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 5.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Consolidated Water

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Consolidated Water by 5.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 423,163 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $10,669,000 after purchasing an additional 20,394 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Consolidated Water in the 4th quarter worth about $849,000. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Consolidated Water by 288.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,350 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $514,000 after buying an additional 15,116 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Consolidated Water by 54.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 299,102 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,540,000 after buying an additional 105,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Consolidated Water by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 17,911 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 2,825 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.16% of the company's stock.

Consolidated Water Trading Down 0.9 %

CWCO traded down $0.22 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $24.12. 32,215 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 110,827. The company has a market cap of $382.91 million, a PE ratio of 14.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.27. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $25.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.80. Consolidated Water has a 1 year low of $22.90 and a 1 year high of $30.32.

Consolidated Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Consolidated Water's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.16%.

About Consolidated Water

Consolidated Water Co Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, designs, constructs, manages, and operates water production and water treatment plants primarily in the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, and the United States. The company operates through four segments: Retail, Bulk, Services, and Manufacturing.