American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Bought by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,695 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,570 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $5,805,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

American Water Works Stock Performance

American Water Works stock opened at $136.20 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $26.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $143.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.00. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $150.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted 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). The business had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.93% and a return on equity of 9.60%. American Water Works’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. On average, analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on AWK shares. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Monday. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.00.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of American Water Works stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company 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.