American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.16 EPS

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.16, FiscalAI reports. American States Water had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 13.77%. The business had revenue of $181.29 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $171.72 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

American States Water Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:AWR traded up $1.27 during trading on Friday, reaching $86.94. 67,603 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 308,744. American States Water has a 1-year low of $69.45 and a 1-year high of $90.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $82.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.72. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.57.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.5455 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This is a positive change from American States Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. American States Water’s payout ratio is currently 59.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AWR shares. Freedom Capital raised American States Water to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded American States Water from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered American States Water from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Insider Buying and Selling at American States Water

In other American States Water news, SVP Paul J. Rowley sold 1,304 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total transaction of $50,033.96. Following the transaction, the director 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American States Water

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWR. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in American States Water by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 650,286 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $47,133,000 after purchasing an additional 72,253 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of American States Water in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 34.1% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 15,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,126,000 after purchasing an additional 3,951 shares in the last quarter. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $111,000. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $204,000. 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.