Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. Sells 786 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,560 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 786 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.’s holdings in American States Water were worth $1,010,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP bought a new position in American States Water during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP grew its position in American States Water by 1,000.0% during the 1st quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 363 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in American States Water by 900.0% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 380 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Column Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in American States Water during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in American States Water during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American States Water Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE AWR opened at $67.78 on Monday. American States Water has a fifty-two week low of $67.55 and a fifty-two week high of $93.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.24. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.86. The stock has a market cap of $2.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.43.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.02. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 20.97%. The business had revenue of $125.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $132.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.42 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that American States Water will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.04%.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In other news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $71.21 per share, for a total transaction of $99,694.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $416,578.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on American States Water from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 23rd.

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.