Short Interest in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) Rises By 25.8%

American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 912,552 shares, an increase of 25.8% from the February 12th total of 725,679 shares. Currently, 2.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 270,260 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 270,260 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Currently, 2.4% of the company’s stock are short sold.

American States Water Stock Down 0.5%

American States Water stock traded down $0.35 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $74.95. The stock had a trading volume of 14,138 shares, compared to its average volume of 243,449. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $73.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.69. American States Water has a 12-month low of $69.45 and a 12-month high of $82.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.06. American States Water had a net margin of 19.82% and a return on equity of 13.10%. The firm had revenue of $164.28 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.82 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a $0.504 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.64%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AWR. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at $1,675,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in American States Water by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 650,286 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $47,133,000 after buying an additional 72,253 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its stake in American States Water by 34.1% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 15,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,126,000 after acquiring an additional 3,951 shares during the period. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 4th quarter valued at about $111,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American States Water in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $84.00.

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.