American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Shares Sold by Northstar Asset Management Inc.

Northstar Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 49,342 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 143 shares during the period. American States Water makes up approximately 1.1% of Northstar Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Northstar Asset Management Inc. owned 0.13% of American States Water worth $3,968,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWR. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its position in American States Water by 246.3% during the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 14,333 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,128,000 after purchasing an additional 10,194 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American States Water by 119.9% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 2,485 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $196,000 after acquiring an additional 1,355 shares in the last quarter. Column Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of American States Water by 1,651.8% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 119,542 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,406,000 after acquiring an additional 112,718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,696,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of American States Water from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 9th.

American States Water Price Performance

American States Water stock traded down $2.00 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $74.82. The company had a trading volume of 176,395 shares, compared to its average volume of 228,823. The company has a market capitalization of $2.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.63, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.43. American States Water has a 12-month low of $66.03 and a 12-month high of $92.85. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $72.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $75.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62. The firm had revenue of $135.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $119.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.95% and a return on equity of 13.65%. American States Water’s quarterly revenue was down 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.54 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.01 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.21%.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $71.21 per share, with a total value of $99,694.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $416,578.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other American States Water news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger acquired 640 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $77.62 per share, for a total transaction of $49,676.80. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 7,006 shares in the company, valued at $543,805.72. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger acquired 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $71.21 per share, with a total value of $99,694.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $416,578.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American States Water Company 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.