First National Corp MA ADV Buys New Shares in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

First National Corp MA ADV purchased a new position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 12,765 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $992,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American States Water in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of American States Water by 367.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American States Water during the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of American States Water by 18,820.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 946 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in American States Water by 31.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American States Water Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of AWR stock opened at $72.97 on Monday. American States Water has a 12-month low of $66.03 and a 12-month high of $87.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $76.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $2.73 billion, a PE ratio of 24.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 0.53.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AWR. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American States Water from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $84.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America cut American States Water from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $85.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th.

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.