American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Sold by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. cut its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 39.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,194 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,336 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in American Water Works were worth $647,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Providence First Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:AWK traded up $0.61 on Friday, reaching $147.04. 1,115,855 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,205,964. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.74 and a 52-week high of $155.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a fifty day moving average of $143.69 and a 200-day moving average of $134.72.

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

American Water Works Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AWK shares. 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. 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. UBS Group downgraded American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Barclays assumed coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.22.

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.