First National Corp MA ADV Has $2.40 Million Stock Holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

First National Corp MA ADV raised its position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 139.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,521 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 17,756 shares during the period. First National Corp MA ADV owned 0.08% of American States Water worth $2,401,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in American States Water in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in American States Water in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in American States Water by 92.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in American States Water by 2,173.9% in the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 523 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in American States Water by 367.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American States Water Price Performance

Shares of AWR stock traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $76.60. 119,783 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 216,072. American States Water has a fifty-two week low of $69.46 and a fifty-two week high of $87.50. The stock's fifty day moving average is $78.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.86. The company has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.16, a P/E/G ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70. The company had revenue of $148.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $142.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.03% and a return on equity of 13.63%. American States Water's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.62 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that American States Water will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is currently 57.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity at American States Water

In related news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total value of $74,613.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,931 shares in the company, valued at $1,226,687. This represents a 5.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger acquired 897 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $76.81 per share, for a total transaction of $68,898.57. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.