CenterBook Partners LP Buys New Holdings in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR)

CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new stake in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 14,168 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,115,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in American States Water by 12.3% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,823 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $773,000 after buying an additional 1,073 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in American States Water during the first quarter worth about $211,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in American States Water by 12.8% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,659 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $603,000 after buying an additional 867 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new position in American States Water during the first quarter worth about $822,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in American States Water during the first quarter worth about $461,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 8th.

Insider Activity

In other American States Water news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 897 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at $650,350.27. This trade represents a 11.85% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

American States Water Trading Down 0.4%

AWR stock traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $75.56. 279,424 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 218,220. 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 capitalization of $2.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.25, a PEG ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.86. 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 issued 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 business had revenue of $148.01 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $142.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.22% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.62 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict 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 declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. American States Water's dividend payout ratio 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.