Davis R M Inc. Decreases Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• Davis R M Inc. reduced its stake in American Water Works by 0.7%, currently owning 321,783 shares valued at $47,469,000.
• American Water Works reported a missed earnings estimate for the last quarter, with an EPS of $1.48 compared to the consensus of $1.53.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.37% and a payout ratio of 60.29%.

Davis R M Inc. lowered its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 321,783 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,330 shares during the period. Davis R M Inc. owned 0.17% of American Water Works worth $47,469,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 31.3% in the first quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 96,280 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,203,000 after acquiring an additional 22,935 shares in the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 22.9% in the first quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 3.3% in the first quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 7,399 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,092,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,250,000. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 23.9% during the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,210 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $769,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Water Works news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total transaction of $404,766.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE:AWK traded up $5.48 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $145.72. 2,693,140 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,105,963. The firm has a market cap of $28.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.65. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.74 and a 52 week high of $155.50. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $141.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $139.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 10.34%. American Water Works's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.42 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. 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 presently 59.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho increased their price target on American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI raised their target price on 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. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $156.00 target price (up from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $142.00.

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.