American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Stock: Vestor Capital LLC Increases Position

Vestor Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 17,601.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 712,315 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 708,291 shares during the quarter. American Water Works accounts for 2.6% of Vestor Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $92,223,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jericho Financial LLP purchased a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter worth about $3,506,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $11,899,000. Bank of Nova Scotia purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,092,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 62.8% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 31,156 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,034,000 after buying an additional 12,022 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 570.4% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 152,829 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $20,109,000 after buying an additional 130,031 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWK has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group lowered shares of American Water Works from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $153.00 to $162.00 in a research report on Friday. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays cut their target price on American Water Works from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Mizuho set a $149.00 target price on American Water Works in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised American Water Works from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.14.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of AWK stock opened at $149.19 on Tuesday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $120.57 and a 1-year high of $153.69. The firm has a market cap of $29.70 billion, a PE ratio of 25.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a 50-day moving average of $136.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $132.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The utilities provider reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.26% and a return on equity of 10.14%. American Water Works’s revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 12th will be issued a $0.8950 dividend. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.05%.

American Water Works Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc is a U.S. water and wastewater utility that provides services to residential, commercial, industrial, and public-sector customers. Its operations include treating and distributing drinking water, collecting and treating wastewater, and maintaining the infrastructure needed to deliver those services.

The company operates regulated water and wastewater utilities across multiple states, serving communities in regions including the Northeast, Midwest, and South.