American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $90.13 and last traded at $89.00, with a volume of 167 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $89.28.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Freedom Capital upgraded American States Water to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings raised American States Water from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded American States Water from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, American States Water has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

American States Water Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $79.54 and its 200-day moving average is $76.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.20, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.59.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $169.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.70 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that American States Water Company will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.504 per share. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. American States Water’s payout ratio is 58.60%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of American States Water

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AWR. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in American States Water during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of American States Water by 113.6% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of American States Water in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 337.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 721 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 556 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Company Profile

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.