Advisors Preferred LLC Makes New Investment in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $441,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in American Water Works by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,107,225 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,125,598,000 after purchasing an additional 217,582 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in American Water Works by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,671,050 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $579,981,000 after purchasing an additional 106,857 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in American Water Works by 24.1% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,532,131 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $668,566,000 after purchasing an additional 878,951 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in American Water Works by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,357,726 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $418,003,000 after purchasing an additional 335,683 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,142,465 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $391,205,000 after buying an additional 414,568 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE AWK traded down $1.29 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $140.60. 1,188,014 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,086,303. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company has a market cap of $27.42 billion, a PE ratio of 25.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.69. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $141.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.33. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.74 and a 52 week high of $155.50.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.24% and a return on equity of 10.35%. The firm's revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th were given a $0.8275 dividend. This is a boost from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AWK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $156.00 price target (up from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays reduced their price target on American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $141.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In other news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total value of $404,766.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.