Perpetual Ltd Boosts Position in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR)

Perpetual Ltd lifted its position in shares of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 41.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 152,187 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 44,834 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd owned 0.40% of American States Water worth $11,974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in American States Water by 2.1% during the first quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 8,849 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $696,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of American States Water by 100.0% during the 1st 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 during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 62,545.4% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 149,096 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $11,731,000 after purchasing an additional 148,858 shares during the period. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 56,702 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,461,000 after purchasing an additional 5,801 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Resource Council purchased a new position in shares of American States Water in the 1st quarter worth about $402,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American States Water news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger bought 897 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $76.81 per share, with a total value of $68,898.57. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at $650,350.27. The trade was a 11.85% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of AWR stock traded up $1.29 on Tuesday, hitting $77.95. 187,252 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 214,407. The firm's 50 day moving average is $78.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.09. American States Water Company has a one year low of $70.30 and a one year high of $87.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.00 billion, a PE ratio of 23.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.61. 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 (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70. The firm had revenue of $148.01 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $142.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.22% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.62 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that American States Water Company will post 3.34 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $0.4655 dividend. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. American States Water's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.23%.

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.