New York State Teachers Retirement System Cuts Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

New York State Teachers Retirement System decreased its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 5.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 153,972 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 9,595 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.08% of American Water Works worth $22,714,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 78.3% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 410 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity 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 stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total transaction of $404,766.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on AWK. Wall Street Zen lowered American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on 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. Barclays began coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. UBS Group downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $143.22.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.3%

AWK traded down $0.40 during trading on Thursday, reaching $139.91. The stock had a trading volume of 683,750 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,233,173. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $27.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.69. The stock's 50 day moving average is $142.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.50. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $118.74 and a one year high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.35% and a net margin of 22.24%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th were given a $0.8275 dividend. 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 dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 13th. American Water Works's payout ratio is currently 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.