CenterBook Partners LP Decreases Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• CenterBook Partners LP reduced its stake in American Water Works by 30.3%, holding 5,732 shares valued at approximately $846,000, as reported in their latest filing.
• Several large investors, including Blue Barn Wealth LLC and Deutsche Bank AG, have either increased their positions in American Water Works or taken new stakes, indicating ongoing institutional interest.
• American Water Works announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.3%, with a payout ratio of 59.64%.

CenterBook Partners LP trimmed its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 30.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,732 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,495 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP's holdings in American Water Works were worth $846,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the first quarter worth $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the first quarter worth about $48,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the first quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In other American Water Works news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the business'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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. The trade was a 27.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

AWK traded up $0.87 during trading on Friday, hitting $145.29. The stock had a trading volume of 1,986,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,576,475. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.18, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.65. The company's 50-day moving average price is $141.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $139.87. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.74 and a twelve month 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 21.91%. American Water Works's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.42 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend 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 research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Evercore ISI increased 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $156.00 price objective (up previously from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, July 11th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $142.00.

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.