First National Corp MA ADV Sells 1,746 Shares of American States Water (NYSE:AWR)

First National Corp MA ADV decreased its position in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,369 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,746 shares during the quarter. First National Corp MA ADV owned approximately 0.06% of American States Water worth $1,638,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vision Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in American States Water during the fourth quarter worth $235,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in American States Water by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 120,745 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,710,000 after acquiring an additional 1,203 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in American States Water by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 41,710 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,354,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares during the period. Legato Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in American States Water by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 19,706 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after buying an additional 419 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in American States Water by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 7,026 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 776 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American States Water Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:AWR opened at $72.06 on Thursday. American States Water has a 52 week low of $69.98 and a 52 week high of $95.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company’s fifty day moving average is $73.79 and its 200-day moving average is $77.86. The company has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.43.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.02. American States Water had a net margin of 20.97% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The company had revenue of $125.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $132.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.42 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,400 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $71.21 per share, for a total transaction of $99,694.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,850 shares in the company, valued at $416,578.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.82% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of American States Water from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 23rd.

About American States Water

American States Water Company, through its subsidiaries, provides water and electric services to residential, commercial, industrial, and other customers in the United States. It operates through three segments: Water, Electric, and Contracted Services. The company purchases, produces, distributes, and sells water, as well as distributes electricity.