Zacks Research Downgrades American States Water (NYSE:AWR) to Hold

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American States Water in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, American States Water currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

American States Water Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWR opened at $76.30 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap 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. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $76.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. American States Water has a 12 month low of $69.45 and a 12 month high of $81.24.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at American States Water

In related news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 39,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,979,212.44. This represents a 1.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.05, for a total transaction of $99,169.20. Following the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American States Water

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in American States Water by 13.8% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,453 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of American States Water by 29.1% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 46,460 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,513,000 after acquiring an additional 10,464 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of American States Water by 114.0% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 46,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,503,000 after purchasing an additional 24,676 shares during the last quarter. Dean Capital Management bought a new position in American States Water in the 1st quarter worth about $3,530,000. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American States Water during the 1st quarter valued at about $325,000. 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.