IFM Investors Pty Ltd Makes New $371,000 Investment in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,133 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $371,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in American States Water by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 23,177 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,824,000 after acquiring an additional 691 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in American States Water by 6.5% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 44,495 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,501,000 after purchasing an additional 2,732 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in American States Water by 6.8% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 10,184 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $801,000 after buying an additional 652 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its stake in American States Water by 143.9% during the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 5,917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $452,000 after buying an additional 3,491 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in American States Water by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 19,367 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,524,000 after buying an additional 792 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Price Performance

American States Water stock traded down $0.40 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $69.91. 237,753 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 223,882. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.43. The business’s 50-day moving average is $71.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.24. American States Water has a 12 month low of $66.03 and a 12 month high of $92.85.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $125.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $132.00 million. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 20.97%. The business’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.42 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is 51.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger acquired 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $71.21 per share, for a total transaction of $99,694.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $416,578.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.82% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of American States Water from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 23rd.

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.