American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Sold by Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC

Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 198 shares during the period. Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $212,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 58.2% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 4,105 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $511,000 after buying an additional 1,510 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth $7,255,000. Smith Moore & CO. lifted its holdings in American Water Works by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 5,869 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 349 shares during the period. Prudential PLC boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 186.4% during the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 17,450 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,172,000 after purchasing an additional 11,357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,206 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised American Water Works from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.86.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $147.36 on Monday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $155.50. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $135.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.28. The company has a market capitalization of $28.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.34, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

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.