American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the eight research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $140.00.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. 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 objective on the stock. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Mizuho cut shares of American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.2 %

AWK stock opened at $132.11 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $141.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68. The company has a market cap of $25.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.16, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is 60.59%.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in American Water Works in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% in the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.