Wedbush Securities Inc. Purchases 5,469 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 62.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,207 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,469 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,977,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $128.26 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.03 billion, a PE ratio of 22.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.77. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $121.28 and a fifty-two week high of $155.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $129.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $134.97.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AWK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $134.00 to $122.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group set a $149.00 target price on American Water Works in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on American Water Works from $142.00 to $126.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Mizuho set a $145.00 price objective on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.89.

American Water Works Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc (NYSE: AWK) is a publicly traded utility company that provides water and wastewater services in the United States. Its core business is the operation, management and maintenance of regulated water and wastewater systems that deliver potable water, collect and treat wastewater, and provide related customer services to residential, commercial and industrial customers as well as municipalities. The company’s operations include water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, meter reading and billing, emergency repairs, and long-term infrastructure planning and capital project execution.

In addition to its regulated utility operations, American Water offers complementary nonregulated services and solutions that support system reliability and customer needs.