American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,720,000 shares, a decrease of 9.9% from the September 30th total of 4,130,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 948,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.9 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AWK shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Wolfe Research upgraded American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Mizuho lowered American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.00.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of American Water Works stock traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $137.62. 261,895 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,191,124. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company has a 50 day moving average of $142.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.11. The stock has a market cap of $26.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.69. American Water Works has a fifty-two week low of $113.34 and a fifty-two week high of $150.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.77% and a return on equity of 9.84%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Water Works will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.59%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 4.2% during the third quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,858 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Water Works by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 2,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Invesco LLC grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 3.4% during the third quarter. Invesco LLC now owns 2,467 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works by 1.6% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 5,415 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $699,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in American Water Works by 2.0% in the second quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 4,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $593,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Company 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.