Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Increases Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,933 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $9,453,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in American Water Works by 1,131.1% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,438,137 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $210,313,000 after buying an additional 1,321,320 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in American Water Works by 4,227.0% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 711,927 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 695,474 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 268.0% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 537,138 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $66,868,000 after buying an additional 391,166 shares in the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP purchased a new position in American Water Works during the third quarter worth about $43,872,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in American Water Works by 129.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 502,391 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $73,470,000 after buying an additional 283,579 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of AWK stock opened at $136.21 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.55 billion, a PE ratio of 25.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 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 50-day moving average of $125.81 and a 200 day moving average of $134.47. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.09. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.57.

About American Water Works

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.