IFM Investors Pty Ltd Boosts Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,960 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,092 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $12,278,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 100.0% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 260.2% in the 1st quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 389 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE:AWK opened at $139.80 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $27.24 billion, a PE ratio of 28.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.69. The business’s 50 day moving average is $143.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $150.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.05). American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 21.93%. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.07%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AWK shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.00.

American Water Works 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.