Swiss National Bank Has $6.06 Million Stock Position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Swiss National Bank cut its stake in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 0.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 72,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 600 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in American States Water were worth $6,055,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of American States Water by 8,274.7% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 309,363 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,767,000 after buying an additional 305,669 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in American States Water by 205.5% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 440,598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,974,000 after acquiring an additional 296,361 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in American States Water by 107.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 381,981 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,815,000 after acquiring an additional 197,556 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 114.0% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 271,325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $22,599,000 after acquiring an additional 144,510 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American States Water by 182.8% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 220,718 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,018,000 after acquiring an additional 142,664 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American States Water Stock Performance

NYSE:AWR opened at $85.41 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of 28.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. American States Water has a 12-month low of $66.03 and a 12-month high of $87.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $84.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.76.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $161.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.26% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. American States Water’s payout ratio is presently 62.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on AWR. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $80.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com lowered shares of American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 16th.

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.