MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Acquires New Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 38,898 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,024,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 71.9% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 239 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of American Water Works stock traded up $1.30 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $143.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,833,474 shares, compared to its average volume of 799,786. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $138.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $129.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $27.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.67. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $113.34 and a one year high of $149.00.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 21.93%. The company's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.26 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 13th. American Water Works's payout ratio is 62.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AWK. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of American Water Works from $124.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut American Water Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $141.17.

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.