Dean Capital Management Boosts Holdings in American States Water Company $AWR

Key Points

• Dean Capital Management increased its stake in American States Water Company by 48.4%, acquiring a total of 14,748 shares worth approximately $1,160,000.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.504, up from the previous $0.47, yielding 2.7% annually, with a payout ratio of 61.77%.
• American States Water reported $0.87 earnings per share for the last quarter, which fell short of expectations, contributing to a net margin of 20.26% and a year-over-year revenue increase of 5.0%.

Dean Capital Management lifted its stake in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 48.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,748 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,809 shares during the period. Dean Capital Management's holdings in American States Water were worth $1,160,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new position in American States Water during the 1st quarter valued at about $5,487,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in American States Water by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 284,620 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $22,394,000 after acquiring an additional 25,333 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in American States Water by 768.9% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,701 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 4,160 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in American States Water during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,157,000. Finally, NFJ Investment Group LLC lifted its position in American States Water by 99.6% during the 1st quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC now owns 78,975 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,214,000 after acquiring an additional 39,418 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American States Water Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE AWR opened at $73.54 on Wednesday. American States Water Company has a 1 year low of $70.29 and a 1 year high of $87.50. The stock has a market cap of $2.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $75.06 and a 200 day moving average of $77.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.46.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.05). American States Water had a net margin of 20.26% and a return on equity of 13.14%. The business had revenue of $163.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $170.64 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.85 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American States Water Company will post 3.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $0.504 dividend. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from American States Water's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.77%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.