American States Water Company

American States Water Company (AWR) offers improving earnings and a lower valuation than its historical average, presenting a more attractive entry point for long-term investors. AWR's growth is driven by regulated water operations, infrastructure investments, and contracted services, but future returns hinge on regulatory approvals and managing high capital and borrowing costs. At $83.55, AWR trades at 22.02x forward earnings—about 20% below its five-year average but still 24% above the utilities sector, suggesting moderate expected returns.

A dividend that has risen every year for seven decades has seen a lot.

SAN DIMAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) announced today that the company intends to release its third quarter ended September 30, 2026 financial results after the market closes on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Robert Sprowls, president and chief executive officer, and Eva Tang, senior vice president-finance and chief financial officer, will host a conference call to discuss these results at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (11:00 a.m. Pacific Time) on Thursday, Novembe.

In this monthly series, I rank a selection of dividend growth stocks and present the top 10 stocks for consideration. This month's screen targets dividend growth stocks with Dividend Safety scores ≥8.0, forward yields ≥2.5%, and prices at or below fair value. An equally weighted portfolio of the top 10 stocks yields 2.8% but would have underperformed SPY over the past 5 years.

Dividends are one of the best benefits to being a shareholder, but finding a great dividend stock is no easy task. Does American States Water (AWR) have what it takes?

Dividend Kings are underperforming SPY in September, with a -4.22% average return versus SPY's marginal gain. Despite aggregate weakness, 29 Dividend Kings appear both undervalued and offer a long-term expected return of at least 10%. Recent dividend increases and higher projected earnings growth have modestly improved the Kings' average dividend growth rate to 4.49%.

Dividend Kings have a 50+ year track record of increasing dividends, showcasing resilience through economic challenges. I rank the Dividend Kings using my 9F Quality Scores, blending qualitative and quantitative factors for a robust, investment-grade assessment. ADP stands out as the best total-return candidate. It is undervalued, high-quality, and offering a strong projected dividend growth rate and Adjusted Chowder Number.

Engineers Gate Manager LP lessened its stake in shares of American States Water Company (NYSE: AWR) by 24.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,133 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 5,762 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager