Short Interest in SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) Rises By 24.2%

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 575,200 shares, an increase of 24.2% from the December 15th total of 463,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 241,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SJW Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Point72 DIFC Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of SJW Group by 81.4% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 704 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in SJW Group by 53.8% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,255 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of SJW Group by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 9,043 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $530,000 after acquiring an additional 755 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of SJW Group by 576.5% in the second quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 893 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares during the period. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SJW Group in the third quarter worth $46,000. 84.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on SJW. StockNews.com cut shares of SJW Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of SJW Group in a report on Friday, September 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on SJW Group from $61.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th.

SJW Group Stock Performance

Shares of SJW stock traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $48.03. The company had a trading volume of 271,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 239,691. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $51.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.88. SJW Group has a one year low of $44.91 and a one year high of $63.34. The firm has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a PE ratio of 17.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.65.

SJW Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. SJW Group's dividend payout ratio is 57.97%.

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.

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