American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Sold by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. decreased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 18.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,499 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $3,515,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 29.0% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is 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. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.34 and a fifty-two week high of $150.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $125.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.27, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. Research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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