Raiffeisen Bank International AG Takes Position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $179,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 92.5% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in American States Water by 367.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in American States Water by 2,173.9% in the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 523 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in American States Water by 198.9% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 541 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American States Water

In other news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total transaction of $74,613.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,931 shares in the company, valued at $1,226,687. This trade represents a 5.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Bank of America downgraded shares of American States Water from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $71.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of American States Water from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th.

American States Water Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AWR opened at $79.56 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.10, a PEG ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.64. American States Water has a 12 month low of $69.46 and a 12 month high of $87.50. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $78.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. The business had revenue of $148.01 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $142.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.03% and a return on equity of 13.63%. The business’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.62 EPS. Analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. American States Water’s payout ratio is 57.23%.

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.