American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $152.14 and last traded at $150.75, with a volume of 264842 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $146.19.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AWK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised American Water Works from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $141.86.

American Water Works Price Performance

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $135.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $134.23. The stock has a market cap of $27.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

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American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.09. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. Research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Water Works

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Providence First Trust Co acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.