Brokerages Set American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) PT at $142.29

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) has been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $142.29.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AWK. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Mizuho lowered American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Water Works

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AWK. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter valued at $46,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in American Water Works by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 446.2% in the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Stock Performance

AWK stock opened at $124.24 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $24.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works has a 12 month low of $113.34 and a 12 month high of $150.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $133.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.70.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.