Short Interest in The York Water Company (NASDAQ:YORW) Rises By 24.2%

The York Water Company (NASDAQ:YORW) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 131,700 shares, an increase of 24.2% from the September 30th total of 106,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 39,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days.

York Water Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:YORW opened at $35.55 on Monday. York Water has a 52-week low of $33.32 and a 52-week high of $41.96. The company has a market capitalization of $509.96 million, a P/E ratio of 20.91 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.78.

York Water (NASDAQ:YORW) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.10). York Water had a net margin of 31.27% and a return on equity of 10.32%. The firm had revenue of $18.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.00 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that York Water will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current year.

York Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a $0.2108 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. York Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded York Water from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On York Water

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of YORW. CWM LLC raised its position in York Water by 37.5% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,738 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of York Water during the second quarter worth about $102,000. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of York Water in the second quarter worth approximately $106,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in York Water in the second quarter valued at approximately $123,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in York Water by 18,424.0% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,631 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $173,000 after purchasing an additional 4,606 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.86% of the company’s stock.

About York Water

The York Water Company impounds, purifies, and distributes drinking water. It owns and operates three wastewater collection systems; ten wastewater collection and treatment systems; and two reservoirs, including Lake Williams and Lake Redman, which hold approximately 2.2 billion gallons of water. The company also operates a 15-mile pipeline from the Susquehanna River to Lake Redman; and owns satellite groundwater systems in York, Adams, and Lancaster Counties, as well as two impounding dams on primary system located in York and Springfield Townships.