Dean Investment Associates LLC Cuts Holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Dean Investment Associates LLC decreased its position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 13.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 65,134 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 10,004 shares during the quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC owned approximately 0.17% of American States Water worth $5,425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of American States Water by 31.4% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake 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 valued at $756,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in American States Water by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,075 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $223,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in 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 worth $735,000 after buying an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in American States Water by 9.2% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 3,428 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of American States Water from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE:AWR traded down $0.63 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $82.11. The stock had a trading volume of 170,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 245,390. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of 27.65, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.51. American States Water has a 52 week low of $66.03 and a 52 week high of $87.50. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $84.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.17.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $161.78 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.26% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. American States Water's payout ratio is 62.63%.

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.