American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System lowered its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 163,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 7,396 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $20,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in American Water Works by 155.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 29.0% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

American Water Works stock opened at $125.76 on Monday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $125.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.25. The company has a market cap of $24.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.90, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.58.

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 paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AWK shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of American Water Works from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $133.00 to $129.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.00.

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.