American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Upgraded by UBS Group to Buy Rating

UBS Group upgraded shares of American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. UBS Group currently has $155.00 target price on the utilities provider’s stock, up from their prior target price of $151.00.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Wolfe Research upgraded American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $142.29.

American Water Works Stock Down 1.1 %

AWK stock opened at $137.31 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $140.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.69. The company has a market cap of $26.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works has a twelve month low of $113.34 and a twelve month high of $150.68.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 63,136 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,233,000 after buying an additional 1,331 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth $713,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,564,193 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $665,163,000 after acquiring an additional 43,754 shares during the last quarter. Brophy Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth $538,000. Finally, Vestcor Inc grew its position in American Water Works by 32.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 10,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,478,000 after acquiring an additional 2,483 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

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.