American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American States Water in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, American States Water has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

American States Water Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of AWR stock opened at $76.30 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $2.99 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50-day moving average of $76.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.65. American States Water has a 1-year low of $69.45 and a 1-year high of $81.24.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $169.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $157.02 million. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.06% and a net margin of 19.66%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.70 EPS. On average, analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.05, for a total transaction of $99,169.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 6,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,846. This represents a 16.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total transaction of $50,033.96. Following the sale, the director directly owned 39,418 shares in the company, valued at $2,979,212.44. This represents a 1.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of American States Water

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in American States Water by 6.2% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,563 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of American States Water by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of American States Water by 1.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,395 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $835,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of American States Water by 2.1% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,663 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $562,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of American States Water by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,033 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Company Profile

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.