American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Purchased by Everence Capital Management Inc.

Everence Capital Management Inc. raised its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,190 shares during the quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 155.6% in the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in American Water Works by 31.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in American Water Works by 446.2% in the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in American Water Works by 25.0% during the third quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AWK shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wolfe Research upgraded American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $142.29.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $123.77 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.47. 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 Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.12 billion, a PE ratio of 24.51, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.59%.

American Water Works 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.