American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) Short Interest Update

American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 912,552 shares, a growth of 25.8% from the February 12th total of 725,679 shares. Approximately 2.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 270,260 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 270,260 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days. Approximately 2.4% of the company’s shares are sold short.

American States Water Trading Down 0.5%

AWR traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $75.26. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 181,018 shares, compared to its average volume of 241,214. The firm has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.33, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.69. American States Water has a 52-week low of $69.45 and a 52-week high of $82.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $73.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.51.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.06. American States Water had a net margin of 19.82% and a return on equity of 13.10%. The firm had revenue of $164.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.82 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $0.504 dividend. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American States Water in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.00.

Institutional Trading of American States Water

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Morgan Stanley increased its position in American States Water by 128.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,347,240 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $97,648,000 after purchasing an additional 758,452 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of American States Water in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,846,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 55.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 720,766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $52,847,000 after acquiring an additional 258,388 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in American States Water by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 738,039 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $53,495,000 after purchasing an additional 164,559 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in American States Water by 512.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 187,949 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $13,780,000 after purchasing an additional 157,276 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

About American States Water

American States Water Company (NYSE: AWR), founded in 1929 and headquartered in San Dimas, California, is a publicly traded utility holding company. The company operates primarily through two regulated segments—water and electric utilities—and provides non-regulated water system services. Over its history, American States Water has expanded its footprint through strategic acquisitions and organic growth, positioning itself as a reliable provider of essential services in its core territories.

Within its regulated water utility segment, American States Water serves more than 250,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across 35 communities in six counties of California.