American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Downgraded to Hold Rating by UBS Group

UBS Group downgraded shares of American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on AWK. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Water Works from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $142.00.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK traded up $1.76 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $146.03. 1,205,515 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,220,178. American Water Works has a one year low of $118.74 and a one year high of $155.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $142.60 and a 200 day moving average of $134.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.09, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.09. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.11 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Water Works will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in American Water Works by 174.3% in the 1st quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,005 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,214,000 after buying an additional 9,535 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 3.1% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 693,078 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $102,243,000 after buying an additional 20,621 shares in the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 97.0% during the first quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 2,768 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 1,363 shares during the last quarter. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Water Works by 45.0% during the first quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,584 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,889,000 after purchasing an additional 6,077 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.58% 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.