Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Purchases New Position in American States Water Company $AWR

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 23,326 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,764,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned 0.06% of American States Water at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American States Water by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 462,887 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,550,000 after purchasing an additional 20,510 shares during the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,379,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its holdings in American States Water by 206.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 78,504 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,756,000 after purchasing an additional 52,885 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in American States Water by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,975,947 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $360,657,000 after buying an additional 118,702 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in American States Water by 632.9% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 153,931 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $11,157,000 after buying an additional 132,929 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on AWR shares. Zacks Research cut shares of American States Water from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of American States Water to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised American States Water from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold".

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWR opened at $85.47 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $81.62 and a 200-day moving average of $77.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.22. American States Water Company has a twelve month low of $69.45 and a twelve month high of $90.11. The firm has a market cap of $3.35 billion, a PE ratio of 24.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.59.

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

American States Water Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a $0.5455 dividend. This is a boost from American States Water's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. American States Water's payout ratio is presently 63.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of the company'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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 6,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,846. This represents a 16.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 39,418 shares in the company, valued at $2,979,212.44. This trade represents a 1.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American States Water Company Profile

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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