American States Water (NYSE:AWR) Short Interest Update

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 649,900 shares, a growth of 51.6% from the October 31st total of 428,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 212,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days.

American States Water Price Performance

NYSE AWR traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $85.31. 131,999 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 247,854. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $84.15 and a 200-day moving average of $79.96. American States Water has a one year low of $66.03 and a one year high of $87.50. The stock has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

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). The business had revenue of $161.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 19.26% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.4655 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. American States Water’s payout ratio is 62.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of American States Water from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American States Water

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in American States Water during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American States Water during the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in American States Water by 31.4% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 941 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in American States Water in the second quarter valued at approximately $80,000. 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.