MML Investors Services LLC Makes New $206,000 Investment in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

MML Investors Services LLC acquired a new position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,476 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWR. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of American States Water by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 845,936 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $61,389,000 after acquiring an additional 6,372 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of American States Water by 5.6% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 450,788 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,714,000 after purchasing an additional 24,042 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in American States Water by 205.5% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 440,598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,974,000 after purchasing an additional 296,361 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in American States Water by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 418,688 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,873,000 after purchasing an additional 13,276 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 107.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 381,981 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,815,000 after buying an additional 197,556 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of American States Water stock opened at $78.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $83.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.84. American States Water has a 52 week low of $66.03 and a 52 week high of $87.50. The company has a market capitalization of $2.95 billion, a PE ratio of 26.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.77 and a beta of 0.51.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.03). American States Water had a net margin of 19.26% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The company had revenue of $161.78 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWR has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of American States Water in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company.

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.