American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Stock Price Breaks Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• American States Water shares moved above their 200-day moving average, reaching $84.66 before last trading at $82.59; the 200-day average was $82.08.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with one Buy and two Hold ratings, resulting in an overall “Hold” consensus.
• The company reported quarterly earnings and revenue above expectations, while increasing its quarterly dividend to $0.5455, equivalent to a 2.6% yield and a 59.73% payout ratio.

Shares of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $82.08 and traded as high as $84.66. American States Water shares last traded at $82.5930, with a volume of 267,110 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on AWR shares. Weiss Ratings raised American States Water from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Freedom Capital raised American States Water to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold".

American States Water Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $3.27 billion, a PE ratio of 22.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.56. The business's fifty day moving average is $86.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.16. American States Water had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 13.50%. The firm had revenue of $181.29 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $171.72 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that American States Water Company will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a $0.5455 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. This is an increase from American States Water's previous quarterly dividend of $0.5040. American States Water's payout ratio is currently 59.73%.

Insider Transactions at American States Water

In related news, Director Anne Holloway sold 900 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.86, for a total transaction of $79,974.00. Following the sale, the director owned 38,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,422,709.48. This trade represents a 2.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American States Water

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of American States Water in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in American States Water in the 2nd quarter worth about $51,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water in the 2nd quarter worth about $61,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new stake in American States Water in the second quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in American States Water in the second quarter worth about $87,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American States Water Company Profile

American States Water Company NYSE: AWR is a holding company that provides regulated water and electric utility services, as well as water and wastewater operations for military installations. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial, and public-sector customers through its subsidiaries.

Golden State Water Company operates regulated water systems in California, supplying drinking water and related services to communities across the state. Bear Valley Electric Service provides regulated electric distribution service in the mountain communities of California's San Bernardino County.

Through American States Utility Services, Inc, the company operates and maintains water and wastewater systems at U.S.

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