Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Grows Stock Position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 11,115 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 931 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in American States Water were worth $894,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AWR. Column Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American States Water in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. Adirondack Trust Co. bought a new position in American States Water during the third quarter valued at $79,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of American States Water by 370.5% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,181 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its position in shares of American States Water by 153.3% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWR opened at $69.91 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a PE ratio of 20.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.24. American States Water has a one year low of $66.03 and a one year high of $92.85. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.17.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $125.20 million for 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.01 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. American States Water’s payout ratio is currently 51.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American States Water news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $71.21 per share, with a total value of $99,694.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,850 shares in the company, valued at $416,578.50. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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.