American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Short Interest Up 51.6% in November

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 649,900 shares, a growth of 51.6% from the October 31st total of 428,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 212,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday.

American States Water Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE AWR traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $85.31. 131,999 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 247,854. The stock has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.72, a PEG ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.96. American States Water has a 1-year low of $66.03 and a 1-year high of $87.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.03). American States Water had a net margin of 19.26% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The business had revenue of $161.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.85 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.4655 dividend. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is 62.63%.

Institutional Trading of American States Water

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWM LLC raised its position in American States Water by 31.4% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of American States Water by 2.5% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $756,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised 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. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of American States Water by 3.1% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 8,828 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the period. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of American States Water by 9.2% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 3,428 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.