5,103 Shares in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) Purchased by Advisor Resource Council

Advisor Resource Council acquired a new position in shares of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 5,103 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $402,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in American States Water during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in shares of American States Water by 92.5% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 439 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 2,173.9% in the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 523 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake 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. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings 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 valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on AWR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded American States Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 8th.

American States Water Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of AWR traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $76.89. 152,700 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 216,742. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.26. American States Water Company has a 12-month low of $70.30 and a 12-month high of $87.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.62.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.70. The firm had revenue of $148.01 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $142.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.22% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.62 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that American States Water Company will post 3.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were given a dividend of $0.4655 per share. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. American States Water's payout ratio is 57.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 897 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $76.81 per share, with a total value of $68,898.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at $650,350.27. This represents a 11.85% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

American States Water Company Profile

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.