American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR)’s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $74.65 and traded as high as $77.64. American States Water shares last traded at $76.3040, with a volume of 247,354 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AWR. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American States Water in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research raised American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

American States Water Price Performance

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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $76.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.60.

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

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.504 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.05, for a total transaction of $99,169.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 6,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,846. This trade represents a 16.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of American States Water 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 transaction, the director owned 39,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,979,212.44. The trade was a 1.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American States Water

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its position in American States Water by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in American States Water by 6.2% in the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,563 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $196,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in American States Water by 1.4% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,395 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $835,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its position in American States Water by 2.1% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,663 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $562,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in American States Water by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,033 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. 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.