Ameriprise Financial Inc. Boosts Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,960,070 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 89,988 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 1.01% of American Water Works worth $243,693,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at about $294,524,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 120.7% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,174,395 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $395,180,000 after buying an additional 1,736,258 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at $71,120,000. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,490,423 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $553,687,000 after purchasing an additional 477,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,142,465 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $391,205,000 after acquiring an additional 414,568 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded up $1.41 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $146.81. 724,564 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,197,582. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $118.74 and a one year high of $155.50. The company has a market cap of $28.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $144.61 and a 200 day moving average of $134.98.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.95 EPS. American Water Works's revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. This is a positive change from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. American Water Works's payout ratio is currently 60.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on AWK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays started coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.22.

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.