Plato Investment Management Ltd Boosts Stock Position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 2,173.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 523 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in American States Water were worth $41,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWR. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in American States Water by 367.3% in 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 last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in American States Water in the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American States Water by 18,820.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 946 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Stock Performance

NYSE AWR opened at $77.67 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.50, a P/E/G ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.53. American States Water has a 1-year low of $66.03 and a 1-year high of $87.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.21.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $143.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.17 million. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 20.03%. Equities analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered American States Water from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $84.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised American States Water from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Bank of America lowered American States Water from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

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.