American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $81.65 and last traded at $81.2650, with a volume of 14777 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $80.68.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AWR shares. Zacks Research lowered American States Water from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American States Water in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

American States Water Stock Up 1.3%

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $77.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $75.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.60.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $169.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $157.02 million. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.06% and a net margin of 19.66%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.70 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that American States Water Company will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.504 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is 58.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.05, for a total transaction of $99,169.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 6,520 shares in the company, valued at $495,846. This represents a 16.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total value of $50,033.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 39,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,979,212.44. The trade was a 1.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American States Water

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in American States Water in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its stake in shares of American States Water by 610.5% during the 3rd quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 540 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of American States Water by 113.6% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of American States Water in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in American States Water in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About American States Water

American States Water Company (NYSE: AWR), founded in 1929 and headquartered in San Dimas, California, is a publicly traded utility holding company. The company operates primarily through two regulated segments—water and electric utilities—and provides non-regulated water system services. Over its history, American States Water has expanded its footprint through strategic acquisitions and organic growth, positioning itself as a reliable provider of essential services in its core territories.

Within its regulated water utility segment, American States Water serves more than 250,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across 35 communities in six counties of California.