SG Americas Securities LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 875.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,346 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,875 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in American States Water were worth $1,115,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AWR. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 10.3% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 15,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,159,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 296,361 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of American States Water by 4.3% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 20,924 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,518,000 after acquiring an additional 871 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its stake in American States Water by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 5,213 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $378,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC boosted its position in American States Water by 15.0% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 28,740 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,086,000 after purchasing an additional 3,748 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AWR. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American States Water from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $84.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of American States Water in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock.

American States Water Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AWR opened at $74.71 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a PE ratio of 25.15, a PEG ratio of 11.67 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $78.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.35. American States Water has a 1-year low of $66.03 and a 1-year high of $87.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $161.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.26% and a return on equity of 13.53%. American States Water’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. Research analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.