Quantbot Technologies LP Boosts Stock Position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 84.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,589 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,385 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in American States Water were worth $745,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of American States Water by 107.1% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 381,981 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,815,000 after purchasing an additional 197,556 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in American States Water by 332.0% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 101,222 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,753,000 after buying an additional 77,792 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,234,000. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of American States Water in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,956,000. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of American States Water by 172.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 78,706 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,554,000 after acquiring an additional 49,851 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised American States Water from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th. Bank of America downgraded shares of American States Water from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $71.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of American States Water from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $84.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE:AWR opened at $75.66 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.87, a P/E/G ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s 50-day moving average is $75.51 and its 200 day moving average is $79.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. American States Water has a 12 month low of $66.03 and a 12 month high of $87.50.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $143.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.17 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.03% and a return on equity of 13.63%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American States Water will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $0.4655 dividend. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. American States Water’s payout ratio is 58.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American States Water

In other news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total value of $74,613.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,226,687. This represents a 5.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.