American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Shares Cross Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average on Analyst Downgrade

by · The Cerbat Gem

American States Water Company (NYSE:AWRGet Free Report) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $74.65 and traded as high as $77.64. American States Water shares last traded at $76.3040, with a volume of 247,354 shares changing hands.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American States Water in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

View Our Latest Analysis on AWR

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.05, for a total transaction of $99,169.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 6,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $495,846. The trade was a 16.67% 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. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total transaction of $50,033.96. Following the sale, the director directly owned 39,418 shares in the company, valued at $2,979,212.44. This trade represents a 1.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in American States Water by 55.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 720,766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $52,847,000 after purchasing an additional 258,388 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in American States Water by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 462,887 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,550,000 after purchasing an additional 20,510 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its position in American States Water by 206.4% during the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 78,504 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,756,000 after purchasing an additional 52,885 shares during the period. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at $2,379,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in American States Water by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,975,947 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $360,657,000 after purchasing an additional 118,702 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American States Water Stock Up 1.7%

The company has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.60. The business’s 50-day moving average is $76.87 and its 200-day moving average is $74.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

American States Water (NYSE:AWRGet Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $169.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $157.02 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.66% and a return on equity of 13.06%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.70 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that American States Water Company will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $0.504 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is 58.89%.

About American States Water

(Get Free Report)

American States Water Company (NYSE: AWR), founded in 1929 and headquartered in San Dimas, California, is a publicly traded utility holding company. The company operates primarily through two regulated segments—water and electric utilities—and provides non-regulated water system services. Over its history, American States Water has expanded its footprint through strategic acquisitions and organic growth, positioning itself as a reliable provider of essential services in its core territories.

Within its regulated water utility segment, American States Water serves more than 250,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across 35 communities in six counties of California.

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