American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Sold by Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc.

Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. decreased its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 43.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,830 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,391 shares during the quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its holdings in American Water Works by 72.5% in the 1st quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 5,935 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $876,000 after acquiring an additional 2,495 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC increased its stake in American Water Works by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $388,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 4.9% during the first quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,115 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at approximately $534,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 855.4% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $547,000 after acquiring an additional 3,319 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of AWK stock opened at $142.30 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.74 and a fifty-two week high of $155.50. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $141.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.49.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.01). American Water Works had a net margin of 22.24% and a return on equity of 10.35%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.95 EPS. American Water Works’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. This is an increase from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 13th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 60.29%.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In other news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total transaction of $404,766.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on AWK. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $156.00 target price (up previously from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.67.

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.