Kennondale Capital Management LLC Makes New $431,000 Investment in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Kennondale Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,540 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $431,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 393 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in American States Water by 2,173.9% during the 4th 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. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in American States Water by 198.9% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 541 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. acquired a new position in American States Water during the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American States Water Stock Down 0.6 %

AWR traded down $0.44 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $75.18. 632,759 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 198,748. American States Water has a one year low of $66.03 and a one year high of $87.50. The company has a market cap of $2.82 billion, a PE ratio of 23.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $75.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $79.93.

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American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $143.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.17 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.03% and a return on equity of 13.63%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. American States Water's payout ratio is 58.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 owns 15,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,226,687. The trade was a 5.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.