SG Americas Securities LLC Lowers Holdings in New Jersey Resources Co. (NYSE:NJR)

SG Americas Securities LLC lessened its stake in New Jersey Resources Co. (NYSE:NJR) by 92.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,256 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 39,524 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in New Jersey Resources were worth $145,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of NJR. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of New Jersey Resources by 172.2% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 14,056 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $645,000 after purchasing an additional 8,893 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in New Jersey Resources by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 52,212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,421,000 after buying an additional 1,664 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in New Jersey Resources by 10.1% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 35,205 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 3,233 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. purchased a new position in shares of New Jersey Resources in the first quarter valued at about $2,081,000. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can boosted its stake in shares of New Jersey Resources by 12.7% in the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 114,869 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,510,000 after acquiring an additional 12,945 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

New Jersey Resources Stock Performance

NYSE:NJR opened at $41.28 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.47. New Jersey Resources Co. has a 1 year low of $38.92 and a 1 year high of $54.00. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $42.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.44. The company has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.92 and a beta of 0.64.

New Jersey Resources (NYSE:NJR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.15). New Jersey Resources had a return on equity of 11.13% and a net margin of 13.96%. The firm had revenue of $467.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $812.66 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 35.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that New Jersey Resources Co. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

New Jersey Resources Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.07%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 12th. New Jersey Resources’s payout ratio is 68.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on NJR shares. StockNews.com raised New Jersey Resources from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Mizuho decreased their target price on New Jersey Resources from $47.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 5th.

New Jersey Resources Company Profile

New Jersey Resources Corporation, an energy services holding company, distributes natural gas. The company operates through four segments: Natural Gas Distribution, Clean Energy Ventures, Energy Services, and Storage and Transportation. The Natural Gas Distribution segment offers regulated natural gas utility services to approximately 576,000 customers in Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, and Sussex counties in New Jersey; provides capacity and storage management services; and participates in the off-system sales and capacity release markets.