American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Bought by Public Sector Pension Investment Board

Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 49.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,994 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $4,266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

American Water Works Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:AWK opened at $143.18 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $150.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $143.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.05). American Water Works had a net margin of 21.93% and a return on equity of 9.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on AWK. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Water Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.29.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of American Water Works 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at $5,268,308. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.