Allianz SE Takes $469,000 Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• Allianz SE purchased 3,182 shares of American Water Works Company, valued at approximately $469,000, during the 1st quarter of the year.
• Institutional investors currently hold 86.58% of American Water Works' stock, indicating strong confidence in the company amongst large financial players.
• American Water Works recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.3%, demonstrating its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Allianz SE purchased a new stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,182 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $469,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in shares of 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 worth $668,566,000 after purchasing an additional 878,951 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in American Water Works by 38.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,695,734 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $335,592,000 after acquiring an additional 747,316 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 20,534.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 615,306 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $90,770,000 after acquiring an additional 612,324 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 15.2% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 55.9% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 980,596 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $122,074,000 after purchasing an additional 351,533 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK stock traded up $0.37 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $141.87. The stock had a trading volume of 2,087,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,500,308. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $141.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $139.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.68 billion, a PE ratio of 25.56, a PEG ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.65. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.74 and a 12 month high of $155.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.05). American Water Works had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.42 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be given a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 12th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is 59.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on AWK shares. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $156.00 price objective (up previously from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $142.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In other American Water Works news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of American Water Works stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total transaction of $404,766.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,916.16. The trade was a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

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.