SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of SJW Group (NYSE:SJW - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the three analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $54.00.

Several research firms recently commented on SJW. StockNews.com cut SJW Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on SJW Group from $61.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Bank of America raised SJW Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $59.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

SJW Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SJW traded up $0.57 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $52.67. The company had a trading volume of 144,299 shares, compared to its average volume of 288,403. SJW Group has a twelve month low of $44.91 and a twelve month high of $62.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.65. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $49.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.91.

SJW Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is a boost from SJW Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. SJW Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.97%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SJW Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in shares of SJW Group by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 9,015 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in SJW Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 17,198 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $846,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in SJW Group by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 4,430 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in SJW Group by 64.4% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 766 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd boosted its holdings in SJW Group by 81.4% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 704 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the period. 84.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SJW Group Company Profile

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.