American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Shares Bought by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 110.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,327 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 11,197 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned about 0.06% of American States Water worth $1,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $756,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 8,828 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of American States Water by 9.2% during the 3rd 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 period. First Pacific Financial increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 8,783 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $732,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of American States Water by 31.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,236 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American States Water Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of AWR stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $79.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 513,890 shares, compared to its average volume of 219,971. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $83.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. 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 $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 26.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.77 and a beta of 0.51.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.03). American States Water had a return on equity of 13.53% and a net margin of 19.26%. The company 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 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $0.4655 dividend. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. American States Water's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AWR shares. Bank of America began coverage on American States Water in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered American States Water from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th.

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.