NFJ Investment Group LLC Sells 3,322 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

NFJ Investment Group LLC cut its stake in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 7.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 40,077 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,322 shares during the period. NFJ Investment Group LLC’s holdings in American States Water were worth $3,338,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 31.4% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in American States Water by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $756,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in American States Water by 9.6% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,075 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of American States Water by 3.1% during the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 8,828 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $735,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the period. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of American States Water by 9.2% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 3,428 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American States Water Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of AWR opened at $84.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.31, a PEG ratio of 4.51 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.64. American States Water has a 1-year low of $66.03 and a 1-year high of $87.50. The company has a 50-day moving average of $84.17 and a 200 day moving average of $80.02.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $161.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.26% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The business’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.02 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th.

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.