American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Short Interest Update

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 372,000 shares, a drop of 13.1% from the August 15th total of 428,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 208,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days.

American States Water Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE AWR traded down $0.53 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $83.66. 190,020 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 219,526. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $81.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.29. American States Water has a 12 month low of $66.03 and a 12 month high of $85.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.02). American States Water had a net margin of 18.85% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The firm had revenue of $155.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $0.4655 per share. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This is a positive change from American States Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. American States Water’s payout ratio is 60.78%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total value of $40,445.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 38,519 shares in the company, valued at $3,115,801.91. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American States Water

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AWR. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in American States Water by 633.3% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in 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 valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 440 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in American States Water in the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in American States Water during the fourth quarter worth $76,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AWR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of American States Water from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $80.00 to $87.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st.

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.