York Water (NASDAQ:YORW) Stock Price Up 3.1% – Should You Buy?

The York Water Company (NASDAQ:YORW) shot up 3.1% on Friday . The company traded as high as $34.74 and last traded at $34.85. 20,322 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 55,579 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.79.

York Water Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company’s 50-day moving average is $32.77 and its 200-day moving average is $34.48. The stock has a market cap of $498.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.42 and a beta of 0.61.

York Water (NASDAQ:YORW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.01). York Water had a return on equity of 9.44% and a net margin of 28.57%. The company had revenue of $18.87 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.00 million. Equities research analysts expect that The York Water Company will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

York Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.2192 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. York Water’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.27%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On York Water

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zimmer Partners LP grew its stake in York Water by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 746,943 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $24,440,000 after buying an additional 37,076 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in York Water by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 473,568 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $17,835,000 after acquiring an additional 40,746 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in York Water by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 343,279 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,862,000 after purchasing an additional 3,082 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in York Water by 21.6% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 226,339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,406,000 after purchasing an additional 40,199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in York Water by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 150,485 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,924,000 after purchasing an additional 5,344 shares in the last quarter. 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.