Holocene Advisors LP Reduces Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Holocene Advisors LP cut its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 7.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 62,695 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 5,245 shares during the quarter. Holocene Advisors LP’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $9,169,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 21.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 31,283 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,023,000 after buying an additional 5,564 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in American Water Works by 350.4% during the second quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 10,360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,338,000 after purchasing an additional 8,060 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in American Water Works by 65.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 106,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,557,000 after purchasing an additional 42,094 shares during the last quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter worth $1,610,000. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its holdings in American Water Works by 11.3% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 48,618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,110,000 after purchasing an additional 4,944 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK stock opened at $134.13 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $138.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.90. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a market cap of $26.14 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AWK. Mizuho cut American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.29.

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.