D.A. Davidson & CO. lowered its position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR – Get Rating) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 106,301 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 856 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in American States Water were worth $9,463,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank N A MO bought a new position in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Resources Investment Advisors LLC. raised its holdings in shares of American States Water by 34.6% during the first quarter. Resources Investment Advisors LLC. now owns 3,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American States Water by 10.3% during the first quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,728 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,112,000 after acquiring an additional 2,207 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American States Water by 4.8% during the first quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,869 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of American States Water during the first quarter valued at approximately $586,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.67% of the company's stock.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE AWR traded down $0.28 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $84.38. 673 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 140,014. The company has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.96 and a beta of 0.28. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. American States Water has a 12-month low of $71.22 and a 12-month high of $103.77.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 15th will be given a $0.3975 dividend. This represents a $1.59 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. This is a positive change from American States Water's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 12th. American States Water's payout ratio is presently 71.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on American States Water from $88.00 to $80.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on American States Water from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 3rd.

Insider Transactions at American States Water

In other news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.91, for a total value of $35,564.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 37,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,365,599.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Granville R. Hodges, Jr. sold 13,559 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.90, for a total transaction of $1,218,954.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,935.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.91, for a total value of $35,564.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 37,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,365,599.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

American States Water Company Profile

(Get Rating)

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.

Further Reading

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