American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Shares Purchased by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,580 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in American States Water were worth $690,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 1.4% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,528 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $828,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in shares of American States Water by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 6,407 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $515,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 28,175 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,217,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 8.0% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 3,997 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northstar Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 0.7% during the third quarter. Northstar Asset Management Inc. now owns 49,485 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,893,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger bought 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $71.21 per share, with a total value of $99,694.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $416,578.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Stock Performance

American States Water stock opened at $70.18 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.13. American States Water has a 12 month low of $66.03 and a 12 month high of $92.85. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $71.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.37. The company has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 20.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.43.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $125.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $132.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.97% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.42 EPS. Research analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. American States Water’s payout ratio is 51.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on American States Water from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 23rd.

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.