Northern Trust Corp Has $46.92 Million Position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 14.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 603,758 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 76,300 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.61% of American States Water worth $46,924,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in American States Water by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,925 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $383,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in American States Water by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,871 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of American States Water by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,262 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in American States Water by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,422,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in American States Water by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,900 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $303,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In other American States Water news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the director now directly owns 15,931 shares in the company, valued at $1,226,687. This trade represents 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 at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

American States Water Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of American States Water stock traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $80.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 177,146 shares, compared to its average volume of 216,064. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.27, a PEG ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.82 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.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.70. The business had revenue of $148.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $142.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.03% and a return on equity of 13.63%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.62 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is 58.68%.

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.