Northstar Asset Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Northstar Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 82.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,748 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 45,674 shares during the period. Northstar Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in American States Water were worth $758,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of American States Water by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,925 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in American States Water by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,262 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its stake in American States Water by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,422,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in American States Water by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $409,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in American States Water by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American States Water Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of AWR stock opened at $74.11 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.64. American States Water has a 1-year low of $66.03 and a 1-year high of $87.50. The firm has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.95, a PEG ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 0.53.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.4655 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. American States Water’s payout ratio is 62.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AWR. Bank of America lowered shares of American States Water from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $85.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut American States Water from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $84.00 to $77.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th.

American States Water 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.