Sigma Planning Corp Decreases Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Sigma Planning Corp decreased its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 2.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 236 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,240,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American Water Works by 155.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter valued at $46,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in American Water Works by 31.7% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter valued at $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on AWK shares. Mizuho downgraded shares of American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target 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 boosted their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. Finally, 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.00.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $132.40 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $141.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.20. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.34 and a 12 month high of $150.68. The firm has a market cap of $25.80 billion, a PE ratio of 26.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.59%.

American Water Works 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.