New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 15,934 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

New York State Common Retirement Fund decreased its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 299,521 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 15,934 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.15% of American Water Works worth $37,287,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 29.0% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works in the third quarter worth about $51,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK stock traded up $3.96 during trading on Friday, hitting $132.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,116,785 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,274,988. The company has a market cap of $25.85 billion, a PE ratio of 24.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.72. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $124.87 and a 200-day moving average of $134.83.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released 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. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 22.44%. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.11 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AWK shares. UBS Group raised American Water Works from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $140.57.

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.