Quadrature Capital Ltd Sells 4,241 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Quadrature Capital Ltd decreased its stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 30.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,241 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd’s holdings in American States Water were worth $763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AWR. Assetmark Inc. increased its position 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 worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of American States Water by 44,000.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in American States Water during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of AWR opened at $70.64 on Friday. American States Water has a 12 month low of $66.03 and a 12 month high of $89.93. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.09, a PEG ratio of 3.71 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.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.62. The business had revenue of $135.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $119.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.95% and a return on equity of 13.65%. The firm’s revenue was down 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.54 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that American States Water will post 3.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 20th were paid a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 17th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at American States Water

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

American States Water 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.