American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Sold by Freedom Investment Management Inc.

Freedom Investment Management Inc. trimmed its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 37.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 9,105 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 5,466 shares during the quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in American Water Works by 3.7% in the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 6,902,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $890,422,000 after purchasing an additional 247,745 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 6.8% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,245,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $328,354,000 after purchasing an additional 143,914 shares during the period. Mirova US LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 2.1% in the second quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 1,588,109 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $205,120,000 after purchasing an additional 32,764 shares during the period. Wulff Hansen & CO. lifted its position in American Water Works by 12,816.0% in the second quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 1,464,674 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $189,177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,453,334 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in American Water Works by 1,131.1% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,438,137 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $210,313,000 after purchasing an additional 1,321,320 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $138.31 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $139.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68. The company has a market cap of $26.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Mizuho cut American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $142.29.

American Water Works 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.