American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 86.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,471 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 9,533 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in American States Water were worth $123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AWR. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in American States Water by 31.4% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in American States Water during the 2nd quarter worth about $80,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $81,000 after buying an additional 976 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in American States Water by 193.7% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,630 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 1,075 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of American States Water stock traded down $1.00 on Friday, hitting $82.34. The stock had a trading volume of 102,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 217,737. American States Water has a 52-week low of $66.03 and a 52-week high of $87.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.49. The company's 50 day moving average price is $82.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.76.

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

American States Water Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were given a $0.4655 dividend. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This is a boost from American States Water's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. American States Water's payout ratio is 64.81%.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In related news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 38,519 shares in the company, valued at $3,115,801.91. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AWR. Wells Fargo & Company raised American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $80.00 to $87.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com downgraded American States Water from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a 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.