CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Purchases 324,350 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 36.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,222,505 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 324,350 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned approximately 0.63% of American Water Works worth $152,056,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Providence First Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE:AWK traded up $1.39 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $148.52. 391,432 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,220,909. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.68. The firm's fifty day moving average is $140.65 and its 200-day moving average is $134.25. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $117.67 and a 12-month high of $155.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised American Water Works from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Barclays initiated coverage on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $141.38.

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.