American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Shares Sold by Weatherly Asset Management L. P.

Weatherly Asset Management L. P. cut its stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,792 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 174 shares during the period. Weatherly Asset Management L. P.’s holdings in American States Water were worth $1,029,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Column Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American States Water in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in American States Water in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Adirondack Trust Co. acquired a new position in American States Water during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $79,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of American States Water by 370.5% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,181 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its holdings in shares of American States Water by 153.3% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 736 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 other American States Water news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,400 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $71.21 per share, with a total value of $99,694.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $416,578.50. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of American States Water stock traded up $0.71 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $70.89. The company had a trading volume of 72,577 shares, compared to its average volume of 225,069. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company’s 50-day moving average is $71.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.37. The company has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.43. American States Water has a twelve month low of $66.03 and a twelve month high of $92.85.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $125.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $132.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.97% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.42 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of American States Water from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 23rd.

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.