Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Makes New Investment in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC bought a new stake in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,392 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $534,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 28.7% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 95,385 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,671,000 after buying an additional 21,270 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,719,000. Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in American States Water by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 14,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,126,000 after buying an additional 1,704 shares during the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its stake in American States Water by 57.1% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 5,729 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 2,082 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its position in American States Water by 46.3% in the third quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 4,905 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 1,552 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at American States Water

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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 opened at $72.57 on Friday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $73.09 and its 200-day moving average is $74.21. The stock has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.46. American States Water has a twelve month low of $66.03 and a twelve month high of $89.93.

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

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th were given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.21%.

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.