Jericho Financial LLP Acquires 3,588 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Jericho Financial LLP increased its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 20.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,248 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,588 shares during the quarter. American Water Works accounts for 2.3% of Jericho Financial LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Jericho Financial LLP's holdings in American Water Works were worth $3,135,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in American Water Works by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 40,625 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,993,000 after acquiring an additional 1,588 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the first quarter valued at approximately $837,000. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 10.0% during the first quarter. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 34,178 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,042,000 after purchasing an additional 3,119 shares during the period. Canton Hathaway LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 500.0% in the first quarter. Canton Hathaway LLC now owns 6,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $885,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covea Finance grew its position in American Water Works by 32.8% in the 1st quarter. Covea Finance now owns 161,467 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $23,820,000 after purchasing an additional 39,900 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE:AWK traded down $1.80 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $142.19. 976,257 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,221,232. The company has a market cap of $27.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.71. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.74 and a 1 year high of $155.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $143.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released 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). The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS 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. The ex-dividend date was 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 2.33%. American Water Works's payout ratio is currently 60.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group downgraded American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays began coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI raised 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Water Works news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,572 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,916.16. The trade was a 27.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.