Private Advisor Group LLC Has $3.17 Million Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Private Advisor Group LLC decreased its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 11.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 21,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,834 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $3,173,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its stake in American Water Works by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in American Water Works in the 1st quarter worth $41,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 260.2% during the first quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 389 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of AWK stock opened at $137.66 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $26.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $143.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.82. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $113.34 and a one year high of $150.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 21.93%. American Water Works’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. 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. Stockholders 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 2.22%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.07%.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the business’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 sale, the director now owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,268,308. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on AWK. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho cut shares of American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.00.

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.