American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Short Interest Update

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,040,000 shares, an increase of 9.8% from the October 31st total of 3,680,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,120,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days.

American Water Works Stock Down 2.4 %

NYSE AWK traded down $3.24 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $130.86. 1,015,047 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,207,817. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market cap of $25.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.09, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50 day moving average of $138.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.90. American Water Works has a 52-week low of $113.34 and a 52-week high of $150.68.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho cut shares of American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.29.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AWK. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the third quarter worth approximately $51,000. 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.