American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Stock Holdings Increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in American Water Works by 48%, now owning approximately 999,510 shares worth $147.4 million.
• Several institutional investors have also boosted their holdings, with Pictet Asset Management increasing its position by 24.1%, and GAMMA Investing LLC by a staggering 20,534.0%.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.30, while earnings fell short of estimates in the latest quarterly report.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 48.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 999,510 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 323,946 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.51% of American Water Works worth $147,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AWK. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 24.1% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,532,131 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $668,566,000 after acquiring an additional 878,951 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in American Water Works by 38.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,695,734 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $335,592,000 after acquiring an additional 747,316 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in American Water Works by 20,534.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 615,306 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $90,770,000 after acquiring an additional 612,324 shares in the last quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. bought a new position in American Water Works during the first quarter valued at approximately $64,870,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in American Water Works by 55.9% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 980,596 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $122,074,000 after acquiring an additional 351,533 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Argus raised their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were 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 directly owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,916.16. This represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:AWK opened at $143.40 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.74 and a 12 month high of $155.50. The firm has a market cap of $27.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company's 50 day moving average is $141.64 and its 200-day moving average is $140.29.

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

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 12th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.

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