Sovran Advisors LLC Buys New Shares in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,263 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $277,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 155.6% in the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in American Water Works in the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in American Water Works by 31.7% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded down $1.11 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $125.76. 1,698,820 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,132,356. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.58. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.34 and a twelve month high of $150.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.90, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.72. The business's fifty day moving average price is $125.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.20.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. American Water Works's payout ratio is 60.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AWK. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American Water Works from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $133.00 to $129.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.00.

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.