Fifth Third Bancorp Sells 554 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Fifth Third Bancorp reduced its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 1.7% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 31,190 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 554 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $4,601,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Providence First Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of AWK opened at $141.26 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.21, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $143.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.83. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.74 and a 52 week high of $155.50.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th were given a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 13th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In other American Water Works news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total value of $404,766.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,572 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

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.