KBC Group NV Has $67.69 Million Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

KBC Group NV decreased its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 458,869 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 12,269 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.24% of American Water Works worth $67,692,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Providence First Trust Co acquired a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on AWK shares. UBS Group cut American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI raised their price target 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 cut shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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, Barclays started coverage on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.22.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of American Water Works stock traded down $2.31 on Wednesday, reaching $140.25. 1,205,683 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,232,048. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $118.74 and a one year high of $155.50. The firm has a market cap of $27.35 billion, a PE ratio of 25.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.49. The firm's 50 day moving average is $142.23 and its 200-day moving average is $136.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its 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). American Water Works had a net margin of 22.24% and a return on equity of 10.35%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 13th. This is a positive change from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. American Water Works's payout ratio is 60.29%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,916.16. This represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

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.