American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Reaches New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $151.50 and last traded at $149.82, with a volume of 786596 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $145.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AWK. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Water Works from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on 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, UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $140.57.

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American Water Works Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $128.45 and a 200 day moving average of $134.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.46 billion, a PE ratio of 26.13, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.09. The business 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Norges Bank acquired a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $294,524,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 120.7% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,174,395 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $395,180,000 after acquiring an additional 1,736,258 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 38.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,695,734 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $335,592,000 after acquiring an additional 747,316 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 4,227.0% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 711,927 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 695,474 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $71,120,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.