Two Sigma Investments LP Has $1.04 Million Position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Two Sigma Investments LP lessened its holdings in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 60.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,364 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 20,552 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP's holdings in American States Water were worth $1,039,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter worth $45,254,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in American States Water by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,118,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $86,935,000 after purchasing an additional 264,257 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in American States Water by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 484,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $37,653,000 after purchasing an additional 102,489 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position 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 worth $27,250,000 after buying an additional 82,951 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in American States Water by 332.0% during 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 buying an additional 77,792 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AWR. Wells Fargo & Company raised American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American States Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE AWR opened at $77.04 on Friday. American States Water has a 1 year low of $69.46 and a 1 year high of $87.50. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.92. 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 has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.30, a P/E/G ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.64.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70. The firm had revenue of $148.01 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.62 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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 was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were given a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.23%.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In other American States Water news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total value of $74,613.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,226,687. The trade was a 5.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.