Citigroup Inc. Cuts Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Citigroup Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 30.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 96,093 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 42,219 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $14,053,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 14,044 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in American Water Works by 1.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,120,062 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $163,798,000 after buying an additional 18,586 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter worth approximately $216,000. Smithfield Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 22.3% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,604 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the third quarter valued at approximately $230,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Performance

AWK opened at $138.31 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68. The company has a market cap of $26.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.39, a PEG ratio of 3.18 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. The company’s 50 day moving average is $139.13 and its 200 day moving average is $137.80.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 60.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AWK shares. UBS Group raised American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho lowered American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.29.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.