HighTower Advisors LLC Acquires 2,109 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,576 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,109 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned about 0.05% of American States Water worth $1,623,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWR. Assetmark Inc. bought a new position in shares of American States Water during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American States Water by 18,820.0% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 946 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 941 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in American States Water by 31.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water in the second quarter valued at $80,000. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 31.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American States Water Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE:AWR opened at $83.18 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.77 and a beta of 0.51. American States Water has a twelve month low of $66.03 and a twelve month high of $87.50.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $161.78 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.26% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. Analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.02 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of American States Water in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com cut American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th.

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.