Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Buys 264,257 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 30.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,118,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 264,257 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 2.99% of American States Water worth $86,935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of American States Water by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,925 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $383,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of American States Water by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,871 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,262 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,422,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC boosted its position in American States Water by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,257 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $409,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

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American States Water Trading Up 3.3 %

American States Water stock traded up $2.54 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $80.34. 45,882 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 215,531. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a PEG ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.47. American States Water has a 12 month low of $66.03 and a 12 month high of $87.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $75.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $79.63.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $143.10 million during 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%. Analysts forecast that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. American States Water's payout ratio is 58.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American States Water news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total transaction of $74,613.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,226,687. This represents a 5.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.