American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average After Analyst Downgrade

American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $74.65 and traded as high as $77.64. American States Water shares last traded at $76.3040, with a volume of 247,354 shares trading hands.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American States Water in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, 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 dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was 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 $495,846. This trade represents a 16.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 662 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total value of $50,033.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 39,418 shares in the company, valued at $2,979,212.44. This trade 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.

Institutional Trading of American States Water

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in American States Water by 6.2% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,563 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $196,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in American States Water by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in American States Water by 1.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,395 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $835,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in American States Water by 2.1% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,663 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $562,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in American States Water by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,033 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $220,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American States Water Price Performance

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 $3.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50-day moving average is $76.97 and its 200-day moving average is $74.69.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $169.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $157.02 million. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.06% and a net margin of 19.66%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.70 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that American States Water Company will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.504 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.89%.

American States Water Company Profile

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.