Short Interest in American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Rises By 17.8%

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 765,900 shares, an increase of 17.8% from the November 15th total of 649,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 217,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days.

American States Water Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE:AWR traded up $0.78 on Monday, hitting $83.96. The stock had a trading volume of 27,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 218,191. The stock has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.01, a PEG ratio of 6.77 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $84.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.50. American States Water has a 1-year low of $66.03 and a 1-year high of $87.50.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.03). American States Water had a net margin of 19.26% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The company had revenue of $161.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $161.00 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. American States Water’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that American States Water will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $0.4655 dividend. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. American States Water’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AWR has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com cut American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of American States Water in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water in the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in American States Water by 18,820.0% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 946 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in American States Water by 31.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of American States Water in the 2nd quarter valued at $80,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.