Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Raises Stock Holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 225.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 35,078 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC owned about 0.14% of American States Water worth $3,674,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 2.9% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,026 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in American States Water by 31.4% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of American States Water by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $756,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 9.6% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,075 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised 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 acquiring an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Stock Up 1.4 %

AWR stock opened at $82.58 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.70. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $82.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.88. American States Water has a fifty-two week low of $66.03 and a fifty-two week high of $85.71.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.02). American States Water had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 18.85%. The firm had revenue of $155.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. American States Water’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. This is a positive change from American States Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. American States Water’s payout ratio is presently 60.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on AWR shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $80.00 to $87.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com lowered shares of American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total transaction of $40,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

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.