Legal & General Group Plc Cuts Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Legal & General Group Plc cut its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,205,368 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 201,334 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 1.65% of American Water Works worth $414,005,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Asset Dedication LLC increased its position in American Water Works by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 5,415 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $699,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in American Water Works by 2.0% during the second quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 4,590 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $593,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 0.5% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 21,123 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,581,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Presima Securities ULC raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 5,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $722,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK stock traded up $1.75 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $144.93. 796,620 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,226,595. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $143.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $132.67. 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 company has a market cap of $28.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.69. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.93% and a return on equity of 9.60%. American Water Works's revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were given a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AWK shares. Wolfe Research upgraded American Water Works to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Bank of America restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $164.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.29.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at $5,268,308. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

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.