TFG Advisers LLC Decreases Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

TFG Advisers LLC lessened its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,536 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 120 shares during the quarter. TFG Advisers LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 100.0% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 260.2% in the first quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 389 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Mizuho cut American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of American Water Works stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.8 %

AWK stock traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $141.81. 138,362 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,196,359. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.63 billion, a PE ratio of 28.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.69. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $150.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.05). American Water Works had a net margin of 21.93% and a return on equity of 9.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is presently 62.07%.

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.