Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Sells 294 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,805 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 294 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in American States Water were worth $226,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of American States Water in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 1,000.0% in the first 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 in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 900.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 380 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Column Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American States Water in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American States Water in the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,400 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $71.21 per share, with a total value of $99,694.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $416,578.50. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE:AWR opened at $69.22 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a PE ratio of 20.54, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.43. American States Water has a 52-week low of $66.03 and a 52-week high of $92.85. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.52.

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

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. American States Water’s payout ratio is presently 51.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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 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.