Texas Permanent School Fund Corp Has $4.16 Million Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Texas Permanent School Fund Corp trimmed its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 20.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,192 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 8,055 shares during the quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $4,158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its position in American Water Works by 100.0% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 71.9% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 239 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at $5,268,308. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE:AWK opened at $148.14 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $149.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.64. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $141.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $130.65. The firm has a market cap of $28.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.69.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.05). American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 21.93%. The business had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were issued a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company lowered American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.17.

About American Water Works

American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.5 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems.