KBC Group NV Buys 70,919 Shares of American States Water Company $AWR

KBC Group NV increased its stake in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) by 6,276.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 72,049 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 70,919 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in American States Water were worth $5,448,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AWR. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in American States Water by 113.6% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in American States Water during the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American States Water by 337.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 721 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 556 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AWR shares. Weiss Ratings raised American States Water from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Freedom Capital upgraded American States Water to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered American States Water from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of the business’s 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 approximately $2,979,212.44. The trade was a 1.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.05, for a total transaction of $99,169.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 6,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,846. This trade represents a 16.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American States Water Price Performance

AWR stock opened at $87.19 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $80.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.85. The stock has a market cap of $3.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.59. American States Water Company has a 1 year low of $69.45 and a 1 year high of $90.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.01). American States Water had a net margin of 19.66% and a return on equity of 13.06%. The company had revenue of $169.19 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $157.02 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.70 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that American States Water Company will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.504 dividend. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.89%.

American States Water 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.