American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Position Raised by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 14.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 9,023 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,123 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in American States Water were worth $726,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 21.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 884,458 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $69,589,000 after buying an additional 153,409 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in American States Water by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 590,523 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,462,000 after acquiring an additional 4,722 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG boosted its position in shares of American States Water by 74.8% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 362,728 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,539,000 after purchasing an additional 155,180 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of American States Water by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 356,543 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,053,000 after purchasing an additional 11,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of American States Water by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 141,312 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $11,118,000 after purchasing an additional 4,222 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AWR opened at $70.21 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $70.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $76.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.83, a PEG ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. American States Water has a 52-week low of $66.03 and a 52-week high of $92.85.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $132.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.42 EPS. American States Water’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American States Water will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. American States Water’s payout ratio is currently 51.04%.

Insider Activity

In other American States Water news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger acquired 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 purchase, the director now owns 5,850 shares in the company, valued at $416,578.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of American States Water from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 23rd.

About American States Water

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.