Swedbank AB Increases Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 10.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 117,393 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,010 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $14,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AWK. 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 period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake 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 worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in American Water Works by 31.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 446.2% in the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of AWK stock opened at $124.62 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $150.68. The firm has a market cap of $24.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average of $127.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AWK. Mizuho downgraded American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American Water Works from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $133.00 to $129.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $139.38.

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.