Motco Has $60,000 Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• Motco significantly reduced its holdings in American Water Works by 98.7%, selling 31,179 shares and leaving them with just 406 shares valued at approximately $60,000.
• American Water Works announced an increased quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.36%, up from a previous dividend of $0.77.
• Despite various analyst ratings, the stock currently holds an average rating of "Hold" with a price target of $141.67, as four analysts recommend selling while six suggest holding.

Motco reduced its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 98.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 406 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 31,179 shares during the period. Motco's holdings in American Water Works were worth $60,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at about $48,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of 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. Evercore ISI increased 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 research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays reduced 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 note on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $156.00 price objective (up 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 issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $141.67.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the firm'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 transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK stock traded down $0.33 on Wednesday, reaching $140.62. The company had a trading volume of 342,939 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,383,966. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.42 billion, a PE ratio of 25.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.69. 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 Company, Inc. has a one year low of $118.74 and a one year high of $155.50. The business's 50-day moving average is $141.30 and its 200 day moving average is $138.82.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.35% and a net margin of 22.24%. The firm's revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.95 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be issued a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.29%.

American Water Works 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.