Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $7.87 Million Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 53,825 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,120 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $7,871,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the third quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of AWK opened at $136.76 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $26.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $139.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AWK. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $142.29.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.