American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Stake Lessened by UMB Bank n.a.

UMB Bank n.a. decreased its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 20.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,571 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,737 shares during the quarter. UMB Bank n.a.'s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Providence First Trust Co purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded down $0.06 on Friday, reaching $141.26. 741,150 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,217,542. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.74 and a 1-year high of $155.50. The firm has a market cap of $27.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average of $143.46 and a 200-day moving average of $135.80.

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

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th were issued a $0.8275 dividend. This is a positive change from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of 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. Evercore ISI upped 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.22.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In other American Water Works news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were 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 now owns 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.11% of the stock is currently 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.