Raymond James & Associates Reduces Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Raymond James & Associates trimmed its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 492,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 56,592 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates owned 0.25% of American Water Works worth $71,967,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in American Water Works by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 3,154 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $461,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 66.7% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 847 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its position in American Water Works by 1.2% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 48,461 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,087,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the third quarter valued at $255,000. Finally, BCS Wealth Management bought a new position in American Water Works during the third quarter valued at $214,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of AWK traded down $0.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $140.76. 888,835 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,201,802. 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 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 $27.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.69. The stock's 50-day moving average is $143.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.40.

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 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 business's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. Research analysts forecast 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid 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 2.17%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AWK shares. Mizuho downgraded shares of American Water Works from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.00.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of American Water Works stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,268,308. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

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.