American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,627,850 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 18,255 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 12.51% of American States Water worth $372,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in American States Water during the 4th quarter worth $29,984,000. EULAV Asset Management boosted its position in American States Water by 199.5% during the 3rd quarter. EULAV Asset Management now owns 59,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,713,000 after acquiring an additional 39,900 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new position in American States Water during the 3rd quarter worth $2,424,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in American States Water during the 4th quarter worth $1,719,000. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its position in American States Water by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 95,385 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,671,000 after acquiring an additional 21,270 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Transactions at American States Water

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

American States Water Stock Up 0.2 %

AWR opened at $71.91 on Friday. American States Water has a one year low of $66.03 and a one year high of $89.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $73.02 and its 200-day moving average is $74.32. The company has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.46.

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

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 17th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.21%.

American States Water Company 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.