GQG Partners LLC Invests $2.53 Million in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

GQG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 20,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,532,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Providence First Trust Co bought a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 54.2% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.86.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE:AWK opened at $139.71 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $27.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $131.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.41. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $113.34 and a one year high of $152.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. Equities analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

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.