Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC Reduces Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 98,187 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 750 shares during the period. American Water Works accounts for approximately 1.3% of Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC owned about 0.05% of American Water Works worth $12,223,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in American Water Works by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,418,102 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $300,739,000 after acquiring an additional 125,128 shares during the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $277,000. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 42,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,261,000 after purchasing an additional 2,562 shares during the period. Swedbank AB grew its position in American Water Works by 65.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 106,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,557,000 after buying an additional 42,094 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $1,783,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $132.63 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $124.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.61, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.72. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.34 and a 52-week high of $150.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AWK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group upgraded 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, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.57.

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.