American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Short Interest Update

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 372,000 shares, a drop of 13.1% from the August 15th total of 428,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 208,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days.

American States Water Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:AWR traded down $0.53 on Wednesday, reaching $83.66. 190,020 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 219,526. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.49. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. American States Water has a 52 week low of $66.03 and a 52 week high of $85.71.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $155.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. American States Water’s revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $0.4655 dividend. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. This is an increase from American States Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. American States Water’s payout ratio is presently 60.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $87.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of American States Water from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th.

Insider Transactions at American States Water

In other news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total value of $40,445.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 38,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,115,801.91. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.82% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American States Water

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWR. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of American States Water by 633.3% in 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 during the period. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in American States Water by 44,000.0% during the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 441 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Clarity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American States Water in the 4th quarter worth approximately $76,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.