Centiva Capital LP Decreases Stock Holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Centiva Capital LP lowered its position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 62.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,334 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 5,596 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP's holdings in American States Water were worth $259,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American States Water in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in shares of American States Water by 92.5% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 439 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of American States Water by 367.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of American States Water by 2,173.9% during the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 523 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of American States Water by 198.9% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 541 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American States Water Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE AWR traded up $1.74 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $79.56. 246,677 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 217,745. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $78.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.10, a PEG ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.82. American States Water has a twelve month low of $69.46 and a twelve month high of $87.50.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70. The business had revenue of $148.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $142.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.03% and a return on equity of 13.63%. The business's revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.62 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. American States Water's payout ratio is currently 57.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American States Water news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total value of $74,613.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,226,687. This trade represents a 5.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AWR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America downgraded shares of American States Water from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American States Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $76.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, May 8th.

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.