Perpetual Ltd Boosts Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Perpetual Ltd raised its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 91.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 101,772 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 48,570 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd owned about 0.05% of American Water Works worth $14,883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Patten Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 4.7% during the third quarter. Patten Group Inc. now owns 8,753 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the period. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 29.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 6,628 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $969,000 after buying an additional 1,503 shares during the last quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 7.5% during the third quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,586 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Boyce & Associates Wealth Consulting Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the third quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Finally, Country Trust Bank lifted its stake in American Water Works by 9.3% in the third quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 206,965 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,267,000 after acquiring an additional 17,685 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.0 %

AWK traded up $0.02 during trading on Thursday, hitting $136.20. 876,255 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,222,131. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.62, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.69. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $143.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $134.00. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released 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). American Water Works had a net margin of 21.93% and a return on equity of 9.60%. The company had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AWK. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Wolfe Research raised shares of American Water Works to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut American Water Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Monday. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America restated an "underperform" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.00.

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.