iSAM Funds UK Ltd Invests $573,000 in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 7,378 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $573,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 92.5% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 439 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 2,173.9% during the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 523 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 367.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 198.9% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 541 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of American States Water stock opened at $80.18 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.29, a P/E/G ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.64. American States Water has a 52 week low of $69.46 and a 52 week high of $87.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The firm's 50 day moving average is $78.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.43.

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 business 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.62 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. American States Water's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AWR. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American States Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of American States Water from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $85.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Insider Transactions at American States Water

In other news, 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 15,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,226,687. This trade represents a 5.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

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.

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