ProShare Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 108,850 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,636 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.29% of American States Water worth $8,460,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in 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 during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in 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 valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 367.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 198.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 541 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of AWR stock traded down $0.90 on Wednesday, hitting $78.42. The company had a trading volume of 154,766 shares, compared to its average volume of 217,354. American States Water has a twelve month low of $69.46 and a twelve month 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 has a market cap of $3.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $78.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.44.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 20.03%. The company had revenue of $148.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $142.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.62 earnings per share. American States Water's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.34 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. American States Water's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.23%.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In other news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 15,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,226,687. The trade was a 5.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American States Water 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.