Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 434,438 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 15,750 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 1.16% of American States Water worth $33,765,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in American States Water by 107.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 381,981 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,815,000 after buying an additional 197,556 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of American States Water by 332.0% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 101,222 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,753,000 after acquiring an additional 77,792 shares during the last quarter. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at $3,956,000. Barclays PLC increased its position in American States Water by 172.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 78,706 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,554,000 after purchasing an additional 49,851 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its stake in American States Water by 29.6% in the 3rd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 158,292 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $13,184,000 after purchasing an additional 36,122 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

American States Water Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE:AWR traded down $1.21 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $75.49. 94,209 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 196,950. The firm has a market cap of $2.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $80.01. American States Water has a 52-week low of $66.03 and a 52-week high of $87.50. 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 (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.69 earnings per share 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.4655 per share. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. American States Water's payout ratio is currently 58.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total transaction of $74,613.00. Following the completion of 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 is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

American States Water Company 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.