American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) have been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research 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. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $140.00.

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. 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. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho cut shares of American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st.

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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at $5,268,308. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AWK. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 2,736 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 65.5% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 106,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,557,000 after purchasing an additional 42,094 shares during the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter worth $201,000. KKM Financial LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 8.2% during the third quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 13,720 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,006,000 after purchasing an additional 1,045 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 37.4% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 282,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,274,000 after purchasing an additional 76,785 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK stock opened at $132.40 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.20. The firm has a market cap of $25.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.58. American Water Works has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

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 is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is presently 60.59%.

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.