Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Makes New $1.68 Million Investment in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new stake in American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 21,480 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,676,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned 0.06% of American States Water as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AWR. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 3.1% during 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 period. Arizona State Retirement System raised 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 valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of American States Water by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,262 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its stake in shares of American States Water by 1.1% in the 4th 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 increased its position in American States Water by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,257 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $409,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the company'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 transaction, the director now owns 15,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,226,687. This represents a 5.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American States Water Stock Performance

NYSE AWR traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $75.18. 632,759 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 198,961. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.72, a P/E/G ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.47. American States Water has a 1 year low of $66.03 and a 1 year high of $87.50. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $75.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $79.97.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 20.03%. On average, equities research analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $0.4655 dividend. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. American States Water's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

American States Water 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.