Waverton Investment Management Ltd Increases Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Waverton Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 279,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,414 shares during the period. Waverton Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $40,867,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versor Investments LP acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $980,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 66,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,703,000 after buying an additional 3,237 shares in the last quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 3rd quarter valued at $216,000. Finally, Arrow Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 55.1% in the 3rd quarter. Arrow Financial Corp now owns 9,873 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,444,000 after buying an additional 3,506 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $134.77 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $26.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.69, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $150.68. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $142.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.11. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm’s 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 $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. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AWK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. 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 report on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective 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 assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.00.

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.