American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Bought by Natixis Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 31.3%, owning 96,280 shares valued at $14.2 million after purchasing an additional 22,935 shares in the first quarter.
• American Water Works reported earnings of $1.48 per share for the last quarter, which was $0.05 below analyst expectations, despite revenue growth of 11.1% year-over-year to $1.28 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8275, with an annualized yield of 2.3%, to be paid on September 3rd to stockholders of record on August 12th.

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 31.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 96,280 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 22,935 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in American Water Works were worth $14,203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AWK. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 78.3% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 410 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Water Works news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK traded up $2.58 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $144.49. 1,068,034 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,436,768. The stock has a market cap of $28.19 billion, a PE ratio of 26.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $141.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.49. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.74 and a 12 month high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its 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 return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 21.91%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.42 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be paid a $0.8275 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.64%.

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.