Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Sells 714 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund trimmed its stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,840 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 714 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.06% of American States Water worth $1,676,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in American States Water by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 9,023 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $726,000 after buying an additional 1,123 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of American States Water by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,008 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of American States Water by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 11,115 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $894,000 after acquiring an additional 931 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in American States Water in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,488,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in American States Water by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 8,580 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $690,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American States Water Price Performance

AWR opened at $69.90 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $71.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a PE ratio of 20.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 0.43. American States Water has a 52 week low of $66.03 and a 52 week high of $92.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.24.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.02. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 20.97%. The business had revenue of $125.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $132.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.42 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American States Water news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger acquired 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $71.21 per share, with a total value of $99,694.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $416,578.50. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

About American States Water

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.