Millennium Management LLC Purchases 45,708 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 16.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 329,740 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 45,708 shares during the quarter. Millennium Management LLC owned about 0.88% of American States Water worth $25,627,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 367.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 2,173.9% during the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 523 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in American States Water by 198.9% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 541 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American States Water Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:AWR opened at $80.18 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $3.09 billion, a PE ratio of 25.29, a P/E/G ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.64. American States Water has a twelve month low of $69.46 and a twelve month high of $87.50. 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 company'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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.62 EPS. Analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total value of $74,613.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 15,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,226,687. This represents a 5.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com 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 shares of American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of American States Water from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd.

About American States Water

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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