American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Given Average Recommendation of "Reduce" by Analysts

Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the eight analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.00.

Several research firms recently issued reports on AWK. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $164.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Bank of America restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded American Water Works to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th.

American Water Works Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE AWK traded up $3.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $136.07. 1,076,011 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,199,348. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.70. The business's 50 day moving average is $142.07 and its 200-day moving average is $136.88. American Water Works has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.59%.

Insider Activity

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at $5,268,308. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in American Water Works by 15.5% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,793 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $9,187,000. Commerce Bank lifted its stake in American Water Works by 13.6% during the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 24,199 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,539,000 after purchasing an additional 2,889 shares during the last quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 28.2% in the third quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 2,329 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $341,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares during the period. Finally, Second Half Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the third quarter valued at $1,918,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.