Dean Capital Management Increases Stake in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Dean Capital Management boosted its position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,706 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the quarter. Dean Capital Management owned about 0.05% of American States Water worth $1,585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 633.3% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of American States Water by 44,000.0% in the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 441 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the period. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of American States Water from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th.

American States Water Stock Performance

AWR stock traded down $0.16 during trading on Monday, reaching $70.59. The stock had a trading volume of 177,246 shares, compared to its average volume of 226,766. The firm has a market cap of $2.63 billion, a PE ratio of 23.06, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $72.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.22. American States Water has a 52 week low of $66.03 and a 52 week high of $90.70.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62. American States Water had a net margin of 19.95% and a return on equity of 13.65%. The company had revenue of $135.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $119.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th were paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mary Ann Hopkins acquired 560 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $71.53 per share, with a total value of $40,056.80. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $257,937.18. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger bought 640 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $77.62 per share, for a total transaction of $49,676.80. Following the purchase, the director now owns 7,006 shares in the company, valued at $543,805.72. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mary Ann Hopkins purchased 560 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $71.53 per share, with a total value of $40,056.80. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $257,937.18. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American States Water Company Profile

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.