Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Acquires 5,050 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 36.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,818 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,050 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.05% of American States Water worth $1,366,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of American States Water in the first quarter worth about $632,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in American States Water by 18.1% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 126,815 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,203,000 after purchasing an additional 19,391 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its position in American States Water by 28.7% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 95,385 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,671,000 after buying an additional 21,270 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American States Water during the first quarter worth $533,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 859.4% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 23,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,713,000 after buying an additional 21,236 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $80.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st.

American States Water Price Performance

AWR stock opened at $82.58 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.99, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $82.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.70. American States Water has a 52-week low of $66.03 and a 52-week high of $85.71.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.02). American States Water had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 18.85%. The company had revenue of $155.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.03 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $0.4655 dividend. This is a positive change from American States Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. American States Water’s payout ratio is currently 60.78%.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In other news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total value of $40,445.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 38,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,115,801.91. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.