Raymond James & Associates Grows Position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR – Get Rating) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 43,464 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 790 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates’ holdings in American States Water were worth $4,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Group One Trading L.P. bought a new position in shares of American States Water during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American States Water in the 4th quarter valued at $69,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of American States Water in the 3rd quarter worth $74,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American States Water by 28.2% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in American States Water during the third quarter valued at about $108,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.09% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Stock Performance

AWR opened at $88.32 on Thursday. American States Water has a 52-week low of $71.22 and a 52-week high of $100.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $3.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.20 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $89.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.34.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.34). The company had revenue of $125.37 million for the quarter. American States Water had a net margin of 18.12% and a return on equity of 12.74%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 2.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.3975 per share. This represents a $1.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 18th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.77%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $89.99 per share, with a total value of $179,980.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $179,980. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AWR. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of American States Water in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $90.00 to $94.00 in a research note on Friday, May 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.67.

American States Water Profile

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