Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Has $1.73 Million Stock Position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lessened its position in shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 47.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,305 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 20,313 shares during the quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in American States Water were worth $1,734,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American States Water during the fourth quarter worth $464,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of American States Water in the 4th quarter valued at $45,254,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 31.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 350,616 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,250,000 after acquiring an additional 82,951 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of American States Water by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,831,526 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $375,506,000 after acquiring an additional 33,371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in American States Water by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 28,469 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,213,000 after acquiring an additional 2,887 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In other American States Water news, Director Diana M. Bonta sold 969 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total transaction of $74,613.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 15,931 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,226,687. This represents a 5.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America cut shares of American States Water from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded American States Water from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut American States Water from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $84.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE:AWR opened at $77.72 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market cap of $2.91 billion, a PE ratio of 24.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.47. American States Water has a 12 month low of $66.03 and a 12 month high of $87.50. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $75.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $79.74.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $143.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.17 million. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 20.03%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.4655 per share. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. American States Water’s payout ratio is presently 58.68%.

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.