American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Sold by iSAM Funds UK Ltd

iSAM Funds UK Ltd decreased its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 38.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,626 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,938 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $576,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Providence First Trust Co acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American Water Works by 54.2% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $143.59 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.74 and a 52 week high of $155.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $144.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.95 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. This is a boost from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. American Water Works’s payout ratio is presently 60.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AWK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group cut shares of American Water Works from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.22.

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.