Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Buys 11,867 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 368,410 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,867 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 1.00% of American States Water worth $29,628,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in American States Water by 246.3% in the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 14,333 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,128,000 after purchasing an additional 10,194 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in American States Water by 119.9% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 2,485 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,355 shares during the last quarter. Column Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in American States Water in the third quarter worth $35,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in American States Water by 1,651.8% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 119,542 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,406,000 after purchasing an additional 112,718 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund bought a new stake in American States Water in the third quarter worth $1,696,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of American States Water from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 9th.

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWR opened at $76.81 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $2.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $72.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.62. The firm had revenue of $135.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $119.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.95% and a return on equity of 13.65%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.01 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. American States Water’s payout ratio is currently 56.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 640 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $77.62 per share, with a total value of $49,676.80. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,006 shares in the company, valued at $543,805.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $71.21 per share, with a total value of $99,694.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,850 shares in the company, valued at $416,578.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 640 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $77.62 per share, with a total value of $49,676.80. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 7,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $543,805.72. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.