KBC Group NV Reduces Stock Position in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR)

KBC Group NV lessened its position in shares of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 69.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,892 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,296 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in American States Water were worth $149,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AWR. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in American States Water in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American States Water by 92.5% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 439 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of American States Water by 198.9% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 541 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American States Water by 607.8% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 545 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 100.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 760 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 897 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $76.81 per share, for a total transaction of $68,898.57. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at $650,350.27. This represents a 11.85% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE:AWR traded down $0.54 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $77.11. 196,315 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 215,912. The business's 50-day moving average price is $78.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $76.96. The company has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a PE ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 0.61. 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.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.70. American States Water had a net margin of 20.22% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The company had revenue of $148.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $142.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.62 earnings per share. American States Water's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. American States Water's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 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.