Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Purchases Shares of 8,475 American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has invested approximately $1.25 million in American Water Works Company by acquiring 8,475 shares during the first quarter.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on American Water Works, with four giving sell ratings and a current average rating of "Hold" along with a price target of $141.67.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, contributing to an annualized dividend of $3.31 and a dividend yield of 2.37%.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 8,475 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,250,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 1.5% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,679 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $690,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.6% in the first quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 2,795 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 4.8% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,607 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 5.0% in the first quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 1.4% in the first quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 6,157 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $908,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Trading Up 3.9%

Shares of American Water Works stock traded up $5.48 on Friday, reaching $145.72. The company had a trading volume of 2,693,140 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,105,963. The firm has a market cap of $28.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $141.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.96. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.74 and a 1 year high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.05). The firm 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.42 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

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 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 payout ratio is presently 59.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AWK shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $156.00 price objective (up previously from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays dropped their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research 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 given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $142.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total value 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 represents a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

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.