Teacher Retirement System of Texas Grows Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 1,462.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,491 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 26,668 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in American Water Works were worth $4,203,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the business's 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 directly owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. The trade was a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AWK shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Evercore ISI lifted 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $154.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $141.67.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded down $0.45 during trading on Friday, reaching $142.23. The stock had a trading volume of 948,450 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,238,561. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $141.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market cap of $27.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.91, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.69. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.74 and a fifty-two week high of $155.50.

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

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th were issued a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. This is an increase from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 13th. American Water Works's payout ratio is presently 60.29%.

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.