American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $81.59 and traded as high as $82.81. American States Water shares last traded at $81.73, with a volume of 277,663 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AWR shares. Freedom Capital raised American States Water to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded American States Water from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

American States Water Stock Down 0.2%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $86.55 and a 200-day moving average of $81.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.30, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.16. American States Water had a return on equity of 13.50% and a net margin of 20.52%.The firm had revenue of $181.29 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $171.72 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American States Water Company will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

American States Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were given a $0.5455 dividend. This is a boost from American States Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.5040. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. American States Water’s payout ratio is currently 59.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American States Water news, Director Anne Holloway sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.86, for a total transaction of $79,974.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 38,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,422,709.48. The trade was a 2.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in American States Water during the 2nd quarter valued at about $602,749,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in American States Water by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 907,840 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $65,810,000 after purchasing an additional 2,812 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in American States Water by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 836,092 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $63,225,000 after purchasing an additional 16,896 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,337,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of American States Water during the 2nd quarter worth about $18,870,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About American States Water

American States Water Company (NYSE: AWR) is a holding company that provides regulated water and electric utility services, as well as water and wastewater operations for military installations. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial, and public-sector customers through its subsidiaries.

Golden State Water Company operates regulated water systems in California, supplying drinking water and related services to communities across the state. Bear Valley Electric Service provides regulated electric distribution service in the mountain communities of California’s San Bernardino County.

Through American States Utility Services, Inc, the company operates and maintains water and wastewater systems at U.S.