Robeco Schweiz AG Increases Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Robeco Schweiz AG increased its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 695,804 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 71,453 shares during the period. American Water Works comprises about 1.9% of Robeco Schweiz AG’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Robeco Schweiz AG’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $86,621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased 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 valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 29.0% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $135.01 on Thursday. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.05, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $134.52.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.09. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. Analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 56.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AWK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.57.

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.