NFJ Investment Group LLC Buys 47,014 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

NFJ Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 18.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 304,308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 47,014 shares during the period. American Water Works accounts for 1.3% of NFJ Investment Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. NFJ Investment Group LLC owned 0.16% of American Water Works worth $44,502,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 6,902,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $890,422,000 after purchasing an additional 247,745 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,245,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $328,354,000 after acquiring an additional 143,914 shares during the period. Mirova US LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 1,588,109 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $205,120,000 after acquiring an additional 32,764 shares during the period. Wulff Hansen & CO. lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 12,816.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 1,464,674 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $189,177,000 after acquiring an additional 1,453,334 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 1,131.1% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,438,137 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $210,313,000 after acquiring an additional 1,321,320 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

American Water Works Price Performance

American Water Works stock traded up $0.97 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $136.57. 130,553 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,202,932. The company’s fifty day moving average is $138.69 and its 200-day moving average is $137.90. The firm has a market cap of $26.62 billion, a PE ratio of 26.85, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.70. 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 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.58.

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 issued a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s payout ratio 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.