Nuance Investments LLC Reduces Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Nuance Investments LLC cut its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 81.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 114,476 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 503,584 shares during the quarter. Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $16,741,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted 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 worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at $51,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 31.7% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on AWK shares. Mizuho lowered shares of American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $142.29.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $138.19 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $140.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.63. 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 current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a market cap of $26.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at $5,268,308. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is owned by 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.