Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC Sells 2,032 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 2.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,155 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,032 shares during the quarter. American Water Works accounts for approximately 1.5% of Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC's holdings in American Water Works were worth $14,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. grew its stake in American Water Works by 1.5% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,679 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $690,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in American Water Works by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,607 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $237,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in American Water Works by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 6,157 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $908,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Summit Financial LLC boosted its position in American Water Works by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 8,438 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,051,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in American Water Works by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,241 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE AWK traded up $0.67 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $142.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,934,444 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,242,204. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $141.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.68. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.74 and a twelve month high of $155.50. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $27.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.03, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.69.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The firm 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 business's revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. Analysts anticipate 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 dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 13th. This is a boost from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AWK shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price 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. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $156.00 target price (up from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of 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. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $141.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the company'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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. This represents a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

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.