Cerity Partners LLC Cuts Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Cerity Partners LLC reduced its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 5.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 219,420 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 13,087 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC owned 0.11% of American Water Works worth $32,369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AWK. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in American Water Works by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 124,352 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $18,344,000 after purchasing an additional 2,570 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American Water Works by 45.2% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in American Water Works by 21.5% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 7,692 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,359 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in American Water Works by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 40,625 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,993,000 after purchasing an additional 1,588 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in American Water Works by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 6,235 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $776,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded down $0.45 during trading on Friday, hitting $142.23. 948,450 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,238,636. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market cap of $27.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $141.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.30. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.74 and a 52-week high of $155.50.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.24% and a return on equity of 10.35%. American Water Works's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th were issued a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 13th. This is a positive change from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. American Water Works's payout ratio is presently 60.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays reduced 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 research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI raised their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of American Water Works from $154.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $141.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 value of $404,766.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. The trade was a 27.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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.