Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Buys 2,730 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,202 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 2,730 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in American Water Works were worth $10,731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 1,131.1% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,438,137 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $210,313,000 after acquiring an additional 1,321,320 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 4,227.0% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 711,927 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 695,474 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 14,944.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 537,987 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $786,750,000 after acquiring an additional 534,411 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC boosted its position in American Water Works by 268.0% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 537,138 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $66,868,000 after buying an additional 391,166 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in American Water Works by 631.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 445,788 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $65,192,000 after purchasing an additional 384,836 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.7 %

AWK traded up $2.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $125.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,230,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,100,191. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68. The stock's 50-day moving average is $125.67 and its 200-day moving average is $135.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.79, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

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 given a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on AWK. UBS Group raised shares of 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 report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Mizuho lowered American Water Works from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded American Water Works from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $133.00 to $129.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $139.38.

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.