Norges Bank Makes New $294.52 Million Investment in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Norges Bank purchased a new stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,365,842 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $294,524,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.21% of American Water Works at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Providence First Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in American Water Works by 54.2% in the 4th 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 purchased a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AWK shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $141.86.

American Water Works Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $146.28 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.52 billion, a PE ratio of 27.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $133.12 and a 200-day moving average of $134.39. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.34 and a 52-week high of $152.07.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. On average, analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS 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.