American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Sold by Legend Financial Advisors Inc.

Legend Financial Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 50.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Legend Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $61,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AWK. MV Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in American Water Works by 110.8% in the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 79.2% in the fourth 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 period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 71.9% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 239 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AWK shares. StockNews.com downgraded American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. UBS Group upped their target price on American Water Works from $124.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.33.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $129.16. 1,201,891 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,044,457. The company has a market capitalization of $25.16 billion, a PE ratio of 26.20, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $129.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.59. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $113.34 and a one year high of $151.22.

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

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th were given a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 13th. This is a boost from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.07%.

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.