Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Increases Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 9.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 200,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 16,805 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.10% of American Water Works worth $29,386,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AWK. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 155.6% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWK has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Mizuho cut shares of American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Wolfe Research raised shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $142.29.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at $5,268,308. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

American Water Works stock opened at $138.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $139.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.80.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

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.