Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Decreases Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lessened its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 18.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 520 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $292,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,858 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in American Water Works by 1.2% in the third quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,424 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $938,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Water Works by 2.9% in the third quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 2,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Invesco LLC grew its holdings in American Water Works by 3.4% in the third quarter. Invesco LLC now owns 2,467 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 31.7% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE:AWK opened at $123.56 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $127.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.63. The firm has a market cap of $24.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.47, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.71. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $113.34 and a one year 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 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 dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.