Waverton Investment Management Ltd Purchases 5,414 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Waverton Investment Management Ltd grew its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 2.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 279,463 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,414 shares during the quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd owned approximately 0.14% of American Water Works worth $40,867,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AWK shares. Mizuho cut American Water Works from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Water Works to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.00.

American Water Works Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE:AWK traded down $1.60 on Tuesday, hitting $132.40. 932,799 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,196,884. The company has a market cap of $25.80 billion, a PE ratio of 26.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $141.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.20.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued 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 2.31%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is 60.59%.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

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.