Short Interest in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Increases By 5.2%

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 391,200 shares, a growth of 5.2% from the August 31st total of 372,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 221,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

American States Water Stock Performance

NYSE:AWR opened at $83.88 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.70. American States Water has a fifty-two week low of $66.03 and a fifty-two week high of $85.71. The firm has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a PE ratio of 27.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $82.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $76.07.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.02). American States Water had a net margin of 18.85% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The firm had revenue of $155.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This is a boost from American States Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AWR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $80.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com lowered American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling at American States Water

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of American States Water by 633.3% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in American States Water by 44,000.0% in the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 441 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in American States Water in the second quarter valued at $42,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at $76,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in American States Water by 31.4% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.