StockNews.com Downgrades American States Water (NYSE:AWR) to Sell

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American States Water from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $80.00 to $87.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st.

American States Water Price Performance

Shares of American States Water stock opened at $81.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $81.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. American States Water has a 1-year low of $66.03 and a 1-year high of $85.71.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $155.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.00 million. American States Water had a net margin of 18.85% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that American States Water will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other American States Water news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total transaction of $40,445.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,115,801.91. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American States Water

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 633.3% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American States Water by 44,000.0% in the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 441 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 440 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of American States Water during the second quarter worth $42,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American States Water during the fourth quarter worth $76,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.