Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Purchases Shares of 3,998 American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,998 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $311,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American States Water by 92.5% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 439 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its holdings in American States Water by 2,173.9% during the fourth 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 period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in American States Water by 367.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in American States Water by 198.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 541 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded American States Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. Bank of America downgraded shares of American States Water from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 8th.

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AWR traded down $0.82 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $78.49. The company had a trading volume of 11,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 216,788. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. American States Water has a 1 year low of $69.46 and a 1 year high of $87.50. The company has a market capitalization of $3.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.81, a P/E/G ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.64. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $78.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.44.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $148.01 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $142.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.62 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American States Water will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is currently 57.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 15,931 shares in the company, valued at $1,226,687. The trade was a 5.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by 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.