Benjamin Edwards Inc. Acquires 268,712 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 941.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 297,243 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 268,712 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. owned about 0.15% of American Water Works worth $43,475,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its position in American Water Works by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,858 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 2.9% during the third quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 2,790 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Invesco LLC increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 3.4% during the third quarter. Invesco LLC now owns 2,467 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 1.6% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 5,415 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $699,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in American Water Works by 31.7% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Water Works Stock Down 1.0 %

AWK traded down $1.34 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $135.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 960,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,207,490. The stock's 50-day moving average is $138.92 and its 200-day moving average is $137.89. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.12, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AWK shares. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho cut American Water Works from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $142.29.

American Water Works 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.