American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Freedom Capital

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) was upgraded by Freedom Capital to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on AWR. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American States Water in a report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research downgraded American States Water from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

American States Water Price Performance

Shares of AWR opened at $82.69 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $77.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.41. American States Water has a twelve month low of $69.45 and a twelve month high of $83.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a PE ratio of 24.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.60.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $169.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $157.02 million. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.06% and a net margin of 19.66%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.70 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at American States Water

In related news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total value of $50,033.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 39,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,979,212.44. This trade represents a 1.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.05, for a total value of $99,169.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 6,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,846. This represents a 16.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in American States Water by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,563 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $196,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in American States Water by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,663 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $562,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in American States Water by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,033 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $220,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in American States Water by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 8,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $641,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

About American States Water

American States Water Company (NYSE: AWR), founded in 1929 and headquartered in San Dimas, California, is a publicly traded utility holding company. The company operates primarily through two regulated segments—water and electric utilities—and provides non-regulated water system services. Over its history, American States Water has expanded its footprint through strategic acquisitions and organic growth, positioning itself as a reliable provider of essential services in its core territories.

Within its regulated water utility segment, American States Water serves more than 250,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across 35 communities in six counties of California.