American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Stock Position Decreased by Verition Fund Management LLC

Verition Fund Management LLC lessened its position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 68.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,644 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 10,240 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC's holdings in American States Water were worth $387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 8,274.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 309,363 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,767,000 after acquiring an additional 305,669 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in American States Water by 205.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 440,598 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,974,000 after purchasing an additional 296,361 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in American States Water by 107.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 381,981 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,815,000 after purchasing an additional 197,556 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of American States Water by 114.0% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 271,325 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $22,599,000 after purchasing an additional 144,510 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of American States Water by 182.8% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 220,718 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $16,018,000 after buying an additional 142,664 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE:AWR traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $83.17. 119,486 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 218,993. American States Water has a 1-year low of $66.03 and a 1-year high of $87.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a PE ratio of 28.00, a PEG ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $84.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.38.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.03). American States Water had a net margin of 19.26% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The company had revenue of $161.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.4655 per share. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. American States Water's payout ratio is 62.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on AWR. Bank of America started coverage on shares of American States Water in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded American States Water from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th.

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.