2,488 Shares in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Acquired by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 2,488 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $200,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 23.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 74,115 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,831,000 after acquiring an additional 14,024 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in American States Water by 54.0% in the third quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,161 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $878,000 after purchasing an additional 3,913 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in American States Water during the third quarter worth approximately $224,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 884,458 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $69,589,000 after buying an additional 153,409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 16.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 8,010 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 1,122 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at American States Water

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 640 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $77.62 per share, for a total transaction of $49,676.80. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $543,805.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Mary Ann Hopkins acquired 560 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $71.53 per share, with a total value of $40,056.80. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $257,937.18. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger bought 640 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $77.62 per share, with a total value of $49,676.80. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $543,805.72. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:AWR opened at $70.64 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. American States Water has a 52-week low of $66.03 and a 52-week high of $89.93. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $72.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.49. The company has a market capitalization of $2.63 billion, a PE ratio of 23.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.46.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62. American States Water had a net margin of 19.95% and a return on equity of 13.65%. The business had revenue of $135.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $119.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.54 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.01 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th were issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. American States Water’s payout ratio is 56.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of American States Water from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 9th.

American States Water Profile

American States Water Company, through its subsidiaries, provides water and electric services to residential, commercial, industrial, and other customers in the United States. It operates through three segments: Water, Electric, and Contracted Services. The company purchases, produces, distributes, and sells water, as well as distributes electricity.