Coston McIsaac & Partners Decreases Stake in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Coston McIsaac & Partners cut its position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 11.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,689 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 357 shares during the period. Coston McIsaac & Partners’ holdings in American States Water were worth $208,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in shares of American States Water by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,925 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in American States Water by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $409,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 3.1% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 8,828 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $735,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the period. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 3,428 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of American States Water stock opened at $73.58 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $78.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $81.29. American States Water has a 12-month low of $66.03 and a 12-month high of $87.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.77, a PEG ratio of 11.67 and a beta of 0.53.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.03). American States Water had a net margin of 19.26% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The business had revenue of $161.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.02 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AWR. Bank of America began coverage on shares of American States Water in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com cut American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of American States Water from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $84.00 to $77.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th.

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.