American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Shares Purchased by First National Corp MA ADV

First National Corp MA ADV lifted its stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 139.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,521 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing 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.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AWR. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in American States Water during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in shares of American States Water by 92.5% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 439 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in American States Water by 2,173.9% in the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 523 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of American States Water by 367.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at American States Water

In other American States Water news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 897 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $76.81 per share, for a total transaction of $68,898.57. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total transaction of $74,613.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,226,687. The trade was a 5.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

American States Water Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE AWR traded up $1.13 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $78.63. The company had a trading volume of 227,905 shares, compared to its average volume of 216,572. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $78.52 and a 200 day moving average of $77.72. American States Water has a 1-year low of $69.46 and a 1-year high of $87.50.

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

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.4655 per share. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. American States Water's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.23%.

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.