Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Sells 515 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund reduced its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 8.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 5,769 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 515 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $844,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in American Water Works by 2.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,648,326 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,012,272,000 after acquiring an additional 624,977 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 153.8% during the first quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 13,640 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,667,000 after buying an additional 8,266 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 21.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 31,283 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,023,000 after purchasing an additional 5,564 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC grew its holdings in American Water Works by 18.1% during the first quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 24,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,033,000 after buying an additional 3,801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 52.6% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 19,039 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,326,000 after acquiring an additional 6,562 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $134.23 on Monday. 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 stock’s 50-day moving average price is $141.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month 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. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 60.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AWK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group began 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.00.

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.