American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Shares of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $75.04 and traded as high as $77.94. American States Water shares last traded at $77.8180, with a volume of 531,208 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on AWR. Zacks Research downgraded American States Water from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American States Water in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

American States Water Stock Performance

The business’s 50-day moving average price is $77.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.60.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.70 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American States Water Company will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $0.504 dividend. 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 is presently 58.89%.

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 transaction 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.05, for a total value of $99,169.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 6,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,846. This trade 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 company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American States Water

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWR. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water in the second quarter worth $26,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its stake in shares of American States Water by 610.5% during the 3rd quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 540 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in American States Water by 113.6% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in American States Water in the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water in the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.