American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,080,000 shares, an increase of 5.2% from the July 15th total of 3,880,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,010,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.0 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered American Water Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on American Water Works from $124.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $141.17.

American Water Works Stock Performance

AWK traded up $0.55 on Monday, hitting $141.53. 457,808 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,269,037. American Water Works has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $149.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.57 billion, a PE ratio of 28.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $136.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $127.73.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.05). American Water Works had a net margin of 21.93% and a return on equity of 9.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that American Water Works will post 5.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 13th. American Water Works's payout ratio is 62.07%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Water Works

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in American Water Works by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 254 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Water Works by 71.9% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 239 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Company 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.

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