Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Sells 20,313 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lessened its holdings in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 47.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,305 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 20,313 shares during the quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned 0.06% of American States Water worth $1,734,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American States Water in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 2,173.9% in the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 523 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of American States Water by 367.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of American States Water by 198.9% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 541 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in American States Water by 56.7% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 948 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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American States Water Stock Down 1.1 %

AWR stock traded down $0.86 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $77.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 36,114 shares, compared to its average volume of 215,821. The company's fifty day moving average price is $75.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $79.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.76. American States Water has a twelve month low of $66.03 and a twelve month high of $87.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.57, a PEG ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.47.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.05. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 20.03%. The business had revenue of $143.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.17 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.4655 per share. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is currently 58.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on AWR. Bank of America cut American States Water from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $71.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered American States Water from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $84.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised American States Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total value of $74,613.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 15,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,226,687. This represents a 5.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.