American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Sets New 12-Month Low at $66.22

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) shares hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $66.22 and last traded at $66.43, with a volume of 12998 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $67.61.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on American States Water from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 23rd.

American States Water Trading Down 1.1 %

The stock has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $72.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.78.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $125.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $132.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 20.97% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.42 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. American States Water’s payout ratio is presently 51.04%.

Insider Activity

In other American States Water news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $71.21 per share, for a total transaction of $99,694.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,850 shares in the company, valued at $416,578.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American States Water

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in shares of American States Water by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 45,725 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,070,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in American States Water by 4.0% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 3,634 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in American States Water by 28.3% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 36,658 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,264,000 after buying an additional 8,078 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of American States Water by 2.1% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 25,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,297,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American States Water by 54.1% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 19,491 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,735,000 after acquiring an additional 6,846 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.