American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) Shares Acquired by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) by 1.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 186,944 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,030 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in American States Water were worth $14,709,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 92.5% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 607.8% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 760 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American States Water

In other American States Water news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger bought 897 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $76.81 per share, for a total transaction of $68,898.57. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 8,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $650,350.27. The trade was a 11.85% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company raised American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 8th.

American States Water Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of AWR stock opened at $74.63 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $77.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.83. American States Water Company has a twelve month low of $70.30 and a twelve month high of $87.50. The company has a market capitalization of $2.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.96, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. The company had revenue of $148.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $142.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.22% and a return on equity of 13.45%. American States Water’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.62 EPS. Research analysts forecast that American States Water Company will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were given a $0.4655 dividend. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.23%.

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.