American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Reaches New 1-Year Low at $70.12

American States Water (NYSE:AWR)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $70.12 and last traded at $70.19, with a volume of 43434 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $70.45.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of American States Water from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 23rd.

American States Water Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of 21.47, a PEG ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a 50-day moving average of $73.79 and a 200 day moving average of $77.86.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $125.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $132.00 million. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 20.97%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.42 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.01 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. American States Water’s payout ratio is 51.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $71.21 per share, for a total transaction of $99,694.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $416,578.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at about $220,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at about $200,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in American States Water by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 29,448 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,369,000 after acquiring an additional 2,897 shares during the last quarter. Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in American States Water in the 4th quarter worth approximately $76,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its position in American States Water by 32.5% in the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 15,062 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 3,692 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About American States Water

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.