American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Downgraded by Mizuho

Mizuho downgraded shares of American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note published on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $140.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $131.00.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Wolfe Research raised shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.00.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.8 %

American Water Works stock opened at $141.96 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.66 billion, a PE ratio of 28.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s 50-day moving average is $143.26 and its 200-day moving average is $134.88. American Water Works has a fifty-two week low of $113.34 and a fifty-two week high of $150.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Water Works will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 62.07%.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Water Works by 2.9% during the third quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 2,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $408,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 1.6% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 5,415 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $699,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.0% during the second quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 4,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $593,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 0.5% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 21,123 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,581,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 25.0% during the third quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Company Profile

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.