Robeco Schweiz AG Lowers Stock Holdings in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR)

Robeco Schweiz AG reduced its stake in shares of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 13.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 243,367 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 38,732 shares during the period. Robeco Schweiz AG owned 0.63% of American States Water worth $19,148,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in American States Water in the 4th quarter worth $45,254,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 30.9% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 62,545.4% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 149,096 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $11,731,000 after buying an additional 148,858 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in American States Water by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 350,616 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,250,000 after buying an additional 82,951 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings 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 valued at $46,924,000 after buying an additional 76,300 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American States Water Price Performance

Shares of American States Water stock traded up $1.06 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $76.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 290,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 224,053. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $77.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $76.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.61. American States Water Company has a one year low of $70.29 and a one year high of $87.50.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70. The business had revenue of $148.01 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $142.00 million. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 20.22%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.62 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that American States Water Company will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.4655 per share. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. American States Water's payout ratio is 57.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger bought 897 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $76.81 per share, for a total transaction of $68,898.57. Following the acquisition, the director owned 8,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at $650,350.27. The trade was a 11.85% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.83% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company raised American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock 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.