Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA Raises Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA lifted its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,654 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 286 shares during the quarter. American Water Works makes up about 1.1% of Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AWK. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 21.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 31,283 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,023,000 after purchasing an additional 5,564 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in American Water Works by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,418,102 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $300,739,000 after purchasing an additional 125,128 shares during the period. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in American Water Works by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 42,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,261,000 after purchasing an additional 2,562 shares during the period. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in American Water Works by 65.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 106,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,557,000 after purchasing an additional 42,094 shares during the period. Finally, PFW Advisors LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $1,783,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.8 %

American Water Works stock opened at $124.62 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.68, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.72. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $150.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $127.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $136.44.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 60.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised American Water Works from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $133.00 to $129.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Mizuho cut American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $139.38.

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.