Waverton Investment Management Ltd Increases Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Waverton Investment Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 279,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,414 shares during the quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd owned 0.14% of American Water Works worth $40,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its holdings in American Water Works by 4.2% in the third quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,858 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Water Works by 2.9% in the third quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 2,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Invesco LLC grew its holdings in American Water Works by 3.4% in the third quarter. Invesco LLC now owns 2,467 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in American Water Works by 1.6% in the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 5,415 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $699,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 2.0% in the second quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 4,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $593,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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 shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AWK shares. Mizuho lowered American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.00.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $134.77 on Tuesday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $150.68. The firm has a market cap of $26.27 billion, a PE ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $142.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

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. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.59%.

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.