Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 217,582 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,107,225 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 217,582 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.13% of American Water Works worth $3,125,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at approximately $227,000. Pitcairn Co. acquired a new position in American Water Works in the 3rd quarter worth $201,000. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in American Water Works by 65.5% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 2,736 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 4.1% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 53,825 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,871,000 after purchasing an additional 2,120 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK stock opened at $139.32 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.85, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $152.07. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.38.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for 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, sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AWK shares. StockNews.com lowered American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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 research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus 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.