American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Upgraded to "Hold" at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning.

AWR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Bank of America cut shares of American States Water from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their target price for the company 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 reduced their target price for the company from $84.00 to $77.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th.

American States Water Stock Performance

American States Water stock traded up $0.52 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $76.56. The stock had a trading volume of 251,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 205,738. The stock's 50 day moving average is $74.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.28. American States Water has a 1 year low of $66.03 and a 1 year high of $87.50. The stock has a market cap of $2.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.69 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 firm had revenue of $143.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $160.17 million. As a group, analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. American States Water's payout ratio is currently 58.68%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American States Water

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American States Water in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in American States Water by 92.5% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 439 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in American States Water by 2,173.9% during the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 523 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in American States Water by 367.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

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.