American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Sets New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• American States Water shares reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $90.21 and up 0.4%, with the company valued at approximately $3.54 billion.
• The utility reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.09 versus the $0.93 estimate and revenue of $181.29 million, up 11.2% year over year.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.5455, equivalent to an annualized $2.18 payout and a 2.4% yield. Despite a Weiss Ratings upgrade, analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating.

American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $90.21 and last traded at $89.2710, with a volume of 17240 shares. The stock had previously closed at $88.91.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded American States Water from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Freedom Capital raised American States Water to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of American States Water from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American States Water currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

American States Water Trading Up 0.4%

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $84.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $3.54 billion, a PE ratio of 24.45, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.57.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $181.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $171.72 million. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.50% and a net margin of 20.52%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that American States Water Company will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $0.5455 dividend. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This is a positive change from American States Water's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.73%.

Institutional Trading of American States Water

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American States Water in the second quarter worth $298,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in American States Water during the 2nd quarter valued at $114,000. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American States Water during the 2nd quarter worth $511,000. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in American States Water during the 2nd quarter worth $2,541,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of American States Water in the 2nd quarter worth about $12,877,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

About American States Water

American States Water Company NYSE: AWR, founded in 1929 and headquartered in San Dimas, California, is a publicly traded utility holding company. The company operates primarily through two regulated segments—water and electric utilities—and provides non-regulated water system services. Over its history, American States Water has expanded its footprint through strategic acquisitions and organic growth, positioning itself as a reliable provider of essential services in its core territories.

Within its regulated water utility segment, American States Water serves more than 250,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across 35 communities in six counties of California.

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