Intech Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 6,465 American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 6,465 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $469,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in American States Water by 633.3% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 352 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in American States Water by 44,000.0% during the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 441 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in American States Water during the second quarter valued at $42,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at $76,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in American States Water by 31.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In related news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total transaction of $40,445.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 38,519 shares in the company, valued at $3,115,801.91. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American States Water Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of AWR stock traded up $1.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $82.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 190,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 223,208. American States Water has a 52-week low of $66.03 and a 52-week high of $85.71. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $81.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $3.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.92, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.49.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $155.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $138.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 18.85% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The firm's revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Research analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $0.4655 per share. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This is a boost from American States Water's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is 60.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com cut American States Water from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday.

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.