Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. Cuts Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. trimmed its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 94.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 17,000 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd.'s holdings in American Water Works were worth $124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Perpetual Ltd grew its position in American Water Works by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 104,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $12,967,000 after buying an additional 2,390 shares during the period. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in American Water Works by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,361 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,414,000 after acquiring an additional 1,264 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 768 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Strong Tower Advisory Services increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 13,439 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,673,000 after purchasing an additional 1,603 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,857 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AWK shares. Mizuho lowered American Water Works from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upgraded 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 note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American Water Works from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $133.00 to $129.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $141.00.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK traded down $4.66 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $121.67. 1,289,383 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,033,260. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $113.34 and a one year high of $150.68. The firm has a market cap of $23.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.09, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $129.15 and a 200-day moving average of $137.05.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.59%.

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.