KBC Group NV Has $5.45 Million Stock Position in American States Water Company $AWR

KBC Group NV lifted its position in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) by 6,276.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,049 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 70,919 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned about 0.18% of American States Water worth $5,448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of American States Water by 128.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,347,240 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $97,648,000 after purchasing an additional 758,452 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in American States Water by 28.7% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 738,039 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $53,495,000 after purchasing an additional 164,559 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in American States Water by 512.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 187,949 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,780,000 after buying an additional 157,276 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in American States Water by 632.9% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 153,931 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $11,157,000 after buying an additional 132,929 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in American States Water by 238.3% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 174,361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,784,000 after buying an additional 122,823 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented 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. Freedom Capital upgraded American States Water to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised American States Water from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

American States Water Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:AWR opened at $87.19 on Friday. American States Water Company has a 12-month low of $69.45 and a 12-month high of $90.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $80.33 and a 200-day moving average of $76.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $3.42 billion, a PE ratio of 25.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.59.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $169.19 million for 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%.American States Water’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.70 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American States Water Company will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.89%.

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.