Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 12,658 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 29.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,906 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 12,658 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.08% of American States Water worth $2,243,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water in the 2nd quarter worth $469,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of American States Water by 35.4% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 11,604 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $842,000 after acquiring an additional 3,036 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its position in shares of American States Water by 92.7% during the second quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 87,452 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,346,000 after purchasing an additional 42,064 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in American States Water by 29.5% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 62,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,550,000 after purchasing an additional 14,300 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in American States Water by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 845,936 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $61,389,000 after purchasing an additional 6,372 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of 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 report on Wednesday, July 31st.

Insider Transactions at American States Water

In related news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total value of $40,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 38,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,115,801.91. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE:AWR opened at $83.88 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $82.19 and its 200 day moving average is $76.07. American States Water has a 12 month low of $66.03 and a 12 month high of $85.71. The company has a market capitalization of $3.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.41, a P/E/G ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

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

American States Water Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $0.4655 dividend. This is a boost 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 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.78%.

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.