Trexquant Investment LP Boosts Stake in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Trexquant Investment LP raised its holdings in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 87.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 74,262 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 34,563 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP owned about 0.20% of American States Water worth $5,772,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 2,173.9% during the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 523 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American States Water by 367.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of American States Water by 198.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 541 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in American States Water in the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American States Water Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:AWR traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $75.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 51,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 219,799. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $76.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $79.28. American States Water has a 52 week low of $66.03 and a 52 week high of $87.50. The company has a market capitalization of $2.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.74, a P/E/G ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

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American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.05. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 20.03%. The company had revenue of $143.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.17 million. As a group, research analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

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. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is currently 58.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AWR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America downgraded shares of American States Water from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded American States Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut American States Water from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $84.00 to $77.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling at American States Water

In other news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total transaction of $74,613.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 15,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,226,687. The trade was a 5.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.