First Trust Advisors LP Acquires 16,896 Shares of American States Water Company $AWR

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in American States Water by 2.1% in the first quarter, adding 16,896 shares to bring its total to 836,092 shares valued at about $63.2 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their positions, and institutions now own 75.24% of the company, showing continued strong institutional interest.
• American States Water reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $0.76 narrowly missing estimates but revenue of $169.19 million beating expectations; the company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.504 per share, yielding about 2.3%.

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 2.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 836,092 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,896 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 2.13% of American States Water worth $63,225,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Magellan Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in American States Water by 20.2% during the 1st quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 36,743 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,779,000 after buying an additional 6,172 shares during the period. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 60.8% in the first quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. now owns 126,225 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,545,000 after buying an additional 47,725 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of American States Water by 2,666.7% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,573 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 2,480 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of American States Water by 13.8% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,453 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of American States Water by 6,276.0% in the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 72,049 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,448,000 after acquiring an additional 70,919 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.05, for a total transaction of $99,169.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 6,520 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,846. This trade represents a 16.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total transaction of $50,033.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 39,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,979,212.44. This represents a 1.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American States Water Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:AWR opened at $86.39 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The business's 50-day moving average is $80.55 and its 200-day moving average is $76.92. American States Water Company has a 1 year low of $69.45 and a 1 year high of $90.11.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($0.01). American States Water had a net margin of 19.66% and a return on equity of 13.06%. The business had revenue of $169.19 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $157.02 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.70 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that American States Water Company will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a dividend of $0.504 per share. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is presently 58.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on AWR. Freedom Capital raised shares of American States Water to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of American States Water from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of American States Water from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

About American States Water

American States Water Company NYSE: AWR, founded in 1929 and headquartered in San Dimas, California, is a publicly traded utility holding company. The company operates primarily through two regulated segments—water and electric utilities—and provides non-regulated water system services. Over its history, American States Water has expanded its footprint through strategic acquisitions and organic growth, positioning itself as a reliable provider of essential services in its core territories.

Within its regulated water utility segment, American States Water serves more than 250,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across 35 communities in six counties of California.

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