Acadian Asset Management LLC Takes Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,770 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $357,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Dedication LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 5,415 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $699,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 2.0% in the second quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 4,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $593,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in American Water Works by 0.5% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 21,123 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,581,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC raised its position in American Water Works by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Presima Securities ULC lifted its stake in American Water Works by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 5,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $722,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

NYSE AWK opened at $149.12 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $29.05 billion, a PE ratio of 30.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $143.12 and a 200-day moving average of $131.51. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.34 and a 52-week high of $150.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.05). American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 21.93%. The company had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors 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 yield of 2.05%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company cut American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Water Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the business’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. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.