American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Shares Purchased by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System owned 0.05% of American States Water worth $1,357,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AWR. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 2.9% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,026 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in American States Water by 31.4% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its holdings in shares of American States Water by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 44,570 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,584,000 after buying an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of American States Water by 9.6% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,075 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the period. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 25,556 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,055,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American States Water Stock Performance

AWR stock opened at $80.68 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.37, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.46. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $77.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.39. American States Water has a 1 year low of $66.03 and a 1 year high of $87.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.70.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.02). American States Water had a net margin of 18.85% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The business had revenue of $155.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.03 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.4655 per share. This is a boost from American States Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.78%.

Insider Activity

In other American States Water news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total transaction of $40,445.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 38,519 shares in the company, valued at $3,115,801.91. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other American States Water news, Director Mary Ann Hopkins bought 560 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $71.53 per share, with a total value of $40,056.80. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $257,937.18. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total transaction of $40,445.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 38,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,115,801.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $87.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st.

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.