Boothbay Fund Management LLC Buys Shares of 2,570 American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,570 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $320,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Providence First Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American Water Works by 54.2% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on AWK. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Water Works from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. UBS Group downgraded American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Barclays initiated coverage on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.22.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded up $1.10 during trading on Monday, reaching $148.21. 841,799 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,204,508. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.74 and a fifty-two week high of $155.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.72. The firm has a market cap of $28.90 billion, a PE ratio of 27.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This is a boost 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 2.23%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.29%.

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.