American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Stock Holdings Increased by Inspire Investing LLC

Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in American States Water were worth $409,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in American States Water by 9.7% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 36,563 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,653,000 after buying an additional 3,224 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 6,372 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 29.5% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 62,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,550,000 after acquiring an additional 14,300 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 35.4% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 11,604 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $842,000 after acquiring an additional 3,036 shares during the period. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its holdings in American States Water by 36.7% during the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 18,818 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 5,050 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE AWR opened at $71.51 on Friday. American States Water has a 1 year low of $66.03 and a 1 year high of $87.50. The business’s fifty day moving average is $79.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.08, a P/E/G ratio of 11.67 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.69.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $161.78 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.85 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that American States Water will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.4655 dividend. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. American States Water’s payout ratio is 62.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America began coverage on American States Water in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of American States Water from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $84.00 to $77.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th.

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.