Advisor Resource Council Makes New $402,000 Investment in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR)

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

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in American States Water during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,254,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in American States Water by 30.9% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,118,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $86,935,000 after purchasing an additional 264,257 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in American States Water by 31.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 350,616 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,250,000 after purchasing an additional 82,951 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in American States Water by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 603,758 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $46,924,000 after purchasing an additional 76,300 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in American States Water by 107.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 137,915 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $10,719,000 after purchasing an additional 71,501 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger bought 897 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $76.81 per share, with a total value of $68,898.57. Following the purchase, the director now owns 8,467 shares in the company, valued at $650,350.27. This represents a 11.85% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American States Water Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWR traded up $2.23 during trading on Monday, hitting $79.99. 195,062 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 216,659. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $78.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.28. The company has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of 24.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. American States Water Company has a 12-month low of $70.30 and a 12-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 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.70. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 20.22%. The business had revenue of $148.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $142.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.62 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that American States Water Company will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a $0.4655 dividend. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. American States Water's payout ratio is currently 57.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised American States Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th.

American States Water 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.