Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $16.37 Million Holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Victory Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR - Free Report) by 10.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 196,583 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 24,135 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.52% of American States Water worth $16,373,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AWR. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of American States Water by 8,274.7% during the third 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 last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in American States Water by 205.5% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 440,598 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,974,000 after acquiring an additional 296,361 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in American States Water by 107.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 381,981 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,815,000 after acquiring an additional 197,556 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 144,510 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of American States Water by 2.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,760,524 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $343,900,000 after acquiring an additional 132,674 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American States Water Stock Performance

AWR stock traded down $0.83 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $84.36. 235,515 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 219,200. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. American States Water has a 1-year low of $66.03 and a 1-year high of $87.50. The company's fifty day moving average price is $83.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $79.54. The firm has a market cap of $3.16 billion, a PE ratio of 28.40, a P/E/G ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.49.

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

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.4655 per share. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. American States Water's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American States Water

In related news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 38,519 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,115,801.91. This trade represents a 1.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of American States Water from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded American States Water from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $80.00 to $87.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st.

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.