Second Half Financial Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 13,113 American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Second Half Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 13,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,918,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in American Water Works in the third quarter valued at $15,154,000. Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,897 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $716,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 48,618 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,110,000 after buying an additional 4,944 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in American Water Works by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,250 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $621,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the third quarter worth approximately $227,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,268,308. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Water Works Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:AWK traded up $1.52 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $138.19. 1,584,993 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,200,481. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $140.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on AWK shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of 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. Mizuho cut shares of American Water Works from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded American Water Works to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $142.29.

American Water Works 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.