Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH Increases Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH lifted its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 294.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,629 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,439 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,074,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Providence First Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Trading Down 1.6%

AWK stock opened at $140.88 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $144.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.40. 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 market cap of $27.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.14, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of American Water Works from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.22.

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.