Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Buys Shares of 28,238 American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 28,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,049,000. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned 0.08% of American States Water as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 633.3% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 44,000.0% during the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 441 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of American States Water in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in American States Water in the 4th quarter worth $76,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in American States Water by 31.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE AWR opened at $82.58 on Friday. American States Water has a 1-year low of $66.03 and a 1-year high of $85.71. The company has a market capitalization of $3.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.99, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $82.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 EPS 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 company had revenue of $155.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. American States Water’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that American States Water will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a $0.4655 dividend. This is a positive change from American States Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In other American States Water news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total value of $40,445.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,519 shares in the company, valued at $3,115,801.91. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About American States Water

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.