ELCO Management Co. LLC Purchases 1,083 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

ELCO Management Co. LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 7.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,548 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,083 shares during the period. American Water Works comprises 1.0% of ELCO Management Co. LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. ELCO Management Co. LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Providence First Trust Co bought a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Price Performance

American Water Works stock opened at $140.68 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $136.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.23. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $155.50. The stock has a market cap of $27.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.10, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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, research analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AWK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on 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, StockNews.com raised American Water Works from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.86.

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.