Short Interest in American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) Drops By 20.7%
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyAmerican States Water Company (NYSE:AWR – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 796,009 shares, a decrease of 20.7% from the March 15th total of 1,004,011 shares. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 318,432 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American States Water in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $84.00.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on AWR
American States Water Trading Up 0.3%
Shares of AWR stock traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $75.77. 1,006,286 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 291,427. The stock has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a PE ratio of 22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.66. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.95. 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 has a 12 month low of $69.45 and a 12 month high of $82.94.
American States Water (NYSE:AWR – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $164.28 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.82 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.82% and a return on equity of 13.10%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that American States Water will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.
American States Water Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.504 per share. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.94%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in American States Water by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American States Water by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,563 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $196,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in shares of American States Water by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,395 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $835,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its position in American States Water by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,663 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $562,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in American States Water by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,033 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $220,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. 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.