SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) Short Interest Down 14.8% in December

SJW Group (NYSE:SJW - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 463,100 shares, a drop of 14.8% from the November 30th total of 543,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 223,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days.

SJW Group Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE:SJW traded down $0.58 on Friday, reaching $49.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 220,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 195,643. SJW Group has a 12-month low of $48.83 and a 12-month high of $66.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $54.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.46. The firm has a market cap of $1.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

SJW Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. SJW Group's payout ratio is currently 57.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Chris Bulman Inc acquired a new position in shares of SJW Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd raised its position 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. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in SJW Group during the third quarter worth $46,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of SJW Group by 576.5% during the second quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 893 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 761 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of SJW Group by 53.8% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,255 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.29% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SJW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America assumed coverage on SJW Group in a report on Friday, September 20th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of SJW Group from $63.00 to $61.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of SJW Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th.

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.