Vanguard Group Inc. Boosts Holdings in American States Water Company $AWR

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in American States Water by 2.4% in Q4 to 4,975,947 shares — roughly 12.85% of the company, valued at about $360.7 million.
• American States Water reported quarterly EPS of $0.76 (missing estimates by $0.01) while revenue rose 14.3% year-over-year to $169.19 million, with a net margin of 19.82% and ROE of 13.10%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.504 (annualized $2.02) for a yield of 2.7%, with an ex-dividend/record date of May 18 and a payment date of June 2.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,975,947 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 118,702 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 12.85% of American States Water worth $360,657,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in American States Water by 150.3% during the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 14,616 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,072,000 after buying an additional 8,776 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in American States Water by 55.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 720,766 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $52,847,000 after buying an additional 258,388 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water in the third quarter valued at about $945,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in American States Water by 23.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 323,182 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $23,696,000 after acquiring an additional 62,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its holdings in American States Water by 216.1% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 24,124 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,769,000 after acquiring an additional 16,493 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of American States Water from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of American States Water in a research report on Monday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $84.00.

American States Water Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWR opened at $75.99 on Thursday. American States Water Company has a twelve month low of $69.45 and a twelve month high of $82.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.60. The company's 50 day moving average is $75.92 and its 200 day moving average is $74.39.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $169.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $157.02 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.82% and a return on equity of 13.10%. The business's revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American States Water Company will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $0.504 dividend. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.64%.

About American States Water

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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