Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. Acquires 47,725 Shares of American States Water Company $AWR

Key Points

• Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel increased its stake in American States Water by 60.8% in the first quarter, buying 47,725 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 126,225 shares worth about $9.5 million.
• Other institutional investors also made moves in AWR, and overall institutional ownership stands at 75.24% of the company’s shares.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: recent rating changes left American States Water with a consensus “Hold” rating, while insiders Paul J. Rowley and Anne M. Holloway both sold shares in May.

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 60.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 126,225 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 47,725 shares during the quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. owned 0.32% of American States Water worth $9,545,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in American States Water during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 113.6% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 549 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of American States Water in the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of American States Water by 337.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 721 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 556 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at American States Water

In other American States Water news, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 6,520 shares in the company, valued at $495,846. This represents a 16.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total value of $50,033.96. Following the transaction, 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. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

American States Water Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE AWR opened at $88.52 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.81, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.59. American States Water Company has a one year low of $69.45 and a one year high of $90.11. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $79.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $169.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $157.02 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that American States Water Company will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.504 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. American States Water's payout ratio is currently 58.89%.

American States Water 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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