American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Stock Position Decreased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 2.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 218,812 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 5,424 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.11% of American Water Works worth $28,262,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AWK. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 100.0% in 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 during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 71.9% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 239 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE AWK traded up $1.30 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $143.12. The company had a trading volume of 1,833,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,242,995. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $138.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $129.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $113.34 and a one year high of $149.00. The stock has a market cap of $27.89 billion, a PE ratio of 29.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.67.

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

American Water Works Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of 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 research report on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $124.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.