M&T Bank Corp Boosts Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 2.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 63,136 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,331 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $9,233,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 21.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 31,283 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,023,000 after purchasing an additional 5,564 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in American Water Works by 65.5% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 106,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,557,000 after buying an additional 42,094 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 11.3% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 48,618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,110,000 after acquiring an additional 4,944 shares during the last quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter worth approximately $1,610,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 7.7% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 497,983 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $72,825,000 after acquiring an additional 35,752 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK stock opened at $125.92 on Monday. 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 Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.34 and a fifty-two week high of $150.68. The firm has a market cap of $24.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $135.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.79.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AWK. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. UBS Group raised American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Mizuho lowered 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. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $142.29.

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.