American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Bought by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 9.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 75,598 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,366 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in American Water Works were worth $11,055,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at $51,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the second quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in American Water Works by 31.7% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 36,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This 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 the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AWK. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Water Works to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of American Water Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised American Water Works from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America reissued an "underperform" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $142.29.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of AWK stock traded up $0.81 on Thursday, hitting $138.70. The stock had a trading volume of 544,028 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,198,927. The company's 50 day moving average price is $140.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. American Water Works's payout ratio is 60.59%.

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.