Linscomb Wealth Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Linscomb Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 36,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 511 shares during the quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $5,316,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the third quarter worth about $51,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,268,308. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK stock remained flat at $132.02 during trading hours on Friday. 478,964 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,192,963. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $141.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.22. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.34 and a twelve month high of $150.68. The company has a market cap of $25.73 billion, a PE ratio of 26.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

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.