Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 21.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,008 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in American States Water were worth $242,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in American States Water by 21.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 884,458 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $69,589,000 after acquiring an additional 153,409 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in American States Water by 0.8% during the third 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 increased its position in American States Water by 74.8% during the third quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 362,728 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,539,000 after acquiring an additional 155,180 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in American States Water by 3.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 356,543 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,053,000 after acquiring an additional 11,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in American States Water by 3.1% during the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 141,312 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,118,000 after acquiring an additional 4,222 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE AWR opened at $69.90 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $71.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a PE ratio of 20.74, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.43. American States Water has a 12 month low of $66.03 and a 12 month high of $92.85.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $125.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $132.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.97% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that American States Water will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at American States Water

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $71.21 per share, for a total transaction of $99,694.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $416,578.50. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of American States Water from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report 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.