American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.16 EPS

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.16, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $181.29 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $171.72 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.66% and a return on equity of 13.06%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share.

American States Water Stock Performance

NYSE:AWR traded up $1.25 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $86.19. 70,536 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 308,997. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. American States Water has a 52 week low of $69.45 and a 52 week high of $90.11.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.5455 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from American States Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AWR shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded American States Water from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research lowered American States Water from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded American States Water to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American States Water presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In related 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 directly owned 6,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,846. This represents a 16.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total transaction of $50,033.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 39,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,979,212.44. This represents a 1.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American States Water

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AWR. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in American States Water by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 650,286 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $47,133,000 after purchasing an additional 72,253 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in American States Water in the fourth quarter worth about $59,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in American States Water by 34.1% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 15,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,126,000 after buying an additional 3,951 shares in the last quarter. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in American States Water in the 4th quarter valued at about $111,000. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water in the 4th quarter worth approximately $204,000. 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.