Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Purchases 11,614 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 112.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,936 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,614 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC owned about 0.06% of American States Water worth $1,827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water during the second quarter valued at about $42,000. CWM LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in American States Water during the 2nd quarter valued at $80,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in American States Water by 702.2% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,115 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 976 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of American States Water by 193.7% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,630 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $118,000 after acquiring an additional 1,075 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at American States Water

In related news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total value of $40,445.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,519 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,115,801.91. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.82% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of AWR traded up $1.28 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $87.29. 144,120 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 219,618. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.70. American States Water has a 1 year low of $66.03 and a 1 year high of $87.50. The stock has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.53, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $82.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.02.

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

American States Water Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. This is a positive change from American States Water's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. American States Water's payout ratio is 60.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $80.00 to $87.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com lowered American States Water from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th.

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.