KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Makes New Investment in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 8,200 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $637,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in American States Water during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 367.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in American States Water by 2,173.9% in the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 523 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in American States Water by 198.9% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 541 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in American States Water by 56.7% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 948 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total value of $74,613.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 15,931 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,226,687. The trade was a 5.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE:AWR opened at $77.84 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.92 billion, a PE ratio of 24.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. American States Water has a 12 month low of $66.03 and a 12 month high of $87.50. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $75.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $79.63.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.05. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 20.03%. The business had revenue of $143.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.17 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded American States Water from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. Bank of America downgraded American States Water from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut American States Water from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $84.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th.

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.