Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Decreases Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 72.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 121,493 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 324,295 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.06% of American Water Works worth $15,125,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AWK. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 29.0% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 31.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 446.2% during the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 426 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded up $0.33 during trading on Friday, hitting $126.69. 1,003,218 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 898,568. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $129.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $136.96. 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 market cap of $24.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works's payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AWK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of American Water Works from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $133.00 to $129.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Mizuho lowered American Water Works from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $141.00.

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.