Wesbanco Bank Inc. Buys 8,072 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 13.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 68,562 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,072 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc.'s holdings in American Water Works were worth $10,027,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AWK. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 100.0% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 254 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the first quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter worth $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of American Water Works stock traded up $0.83 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $141.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 832,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,214,363. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.34 and a 12 month high of $150.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $143.37 and a 200 day moving average of $134.63. The company has a market capitalization of $27.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The business had revenue of $1.15 billion during 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 firm's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. Analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. American Water Works's payout ratio is presently 62.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on AWK. Mizuho cut American Water Works from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered American Water Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.