Two Sigma Investments LP Sells 20,552 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Two Sigma Investments LP trimmed its position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 60.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,364 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 20,552 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP's holdings in American States Water were worth $1,039,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AWR. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,254,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in American States Water by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,118,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $86,935,000 after acquiring an additional 264,257 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in American States Water by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 484,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $37,653,000 after acquiring an additional 102,489 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in American States Water by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 350,616 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,250,000 after purchasing an additional 82,951 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of American States Water by 332.0% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 101,222 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,753,000 after purchasing an additional 77,792 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 897 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $76.81 per share, with a total value of $68,898.57. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $650,350.27. This trade represents a 11.85% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total transaction of $74,613.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,931 shares in the company, valued at $1,226,687. This represents a 5.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American States Water Price Performance

American States Water stock traded up $0.81 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $77.48. 226,223 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 216,369. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $78.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.62. American States Water has a one year low of $69.46 and a one year high of $87.50.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last announced 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. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 20.03%. The firm had revenue of $148.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $142.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.62 EPS. The company's revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. American States Water's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American States Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th.

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.