National Bank of Canada FI Sells 20,374 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

National Bank of Canada FI lowered its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 9.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 186,987 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 20,374 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.10% of American Water Works worth $24,801,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. MV Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 110.8% in the 4th quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 79.2% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Key Financial Inc grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 266.7% during the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 275 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of AWK opened at $130.25 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market cap of $25.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.42, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $119.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.51. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.34 and a 12 month high of $151.24.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $962.30 million. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.27% and a return on equity of 9.74%. American Water Works’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. Analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 13th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. This is a boost from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 57.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on AWK shares. StockNews.com downgraded American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI downgraded shares of American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $135.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Melanie M. Kennedy sold 843 shares of American Water Works stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.59, for a total value of $100,814.37. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,942,141.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

About American Water Works

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.