NFJ Investment Group LLC Invests $1.47 Million in American States Water Company $AWR

Key Points

• NFJ Investment Group acquired 17,740 shares of American States Water worth approximately $1.47 million, while institutional investors collectively own 75.24% of the company.
• American States Water exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.09 in EPS and $181.29 million in revenue, with year-over-year revenue growth of 11.2%.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.5455 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.18 payout and a 2.5% yield; analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating.

NFJ Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 17,740 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,466,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in American States Water in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in American States Water during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of American States Water by 113.6% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 549 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of American States Water in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE:AWR opened at $88.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.90. American States Water Company has a one year low of $69.45 and a one year high of $90.42. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $84.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.81. The stock has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.36, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.57.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.16. American States Water had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 13.50%. The company had revenue of $181.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $171.72 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that American States Water Company will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.5455 per share. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from American States Water's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. American States Water's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AWR shares. Weiss Ratings raised American States Water from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Freedom Capital raised American States Water to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded American States Water from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold".

Insider Transactions at American States Water

In other American States Water news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.86, for a total value of $79,974.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 38,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,422,709.48. This represents a 2.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.90% of the stock is 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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