Intech Investment Management LLC Buys 9,762 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 130.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,268 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 9,762 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in American States Water were worth $1,342,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AWR. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 31.9% during the third 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 last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in American States Water by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,245 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in American States Water by 86.4% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,435 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $536,000 after purchasing an additional 2,983 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 29.6% during the 3rd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 158,292 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $13,184,000 after purchasing an additional 36,122 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of American States Water by 3.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 418,688 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,873,000 after buying an additional 13,276 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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American States Water Price Performance

AWR traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $74.52. 271,240 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 198,864. American States Water has a one year low of $66.03 and a one year high of $87.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.47. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $79.82. 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 announced its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $143.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $160.17 million. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 20.03%. As a group, research 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 was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. American States Water's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total value of $74,613.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,226,687. The trade was a 5.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

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.