Citigroup Inc. Raises Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• Citigroup Inc. has significantly increased its stake in American Water Works Company by 121.3%, owning a total of 171,304 shares valued at approximately $25.27 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• American Water Works' stock has received mixed ratings from analysts, with four analysts giving it a sell rating and a consensus target price of $141.44 despite a recent quarterly earnings report showing revenue growth.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, with a dividend payout ratio of 59.64%, reflecting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 121.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 171,304 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 93,898 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.09% of American Water Works worth $25,271,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 346,292 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $51,085,000 after buying an additional 30,604 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 174,401 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,728,000 after buying an additional 3,225 shares during the period. Blue Barn Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 12.3% during the 1st quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC now owns 2,110 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,989,175 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $293,443,000 after buying an additional 59,463 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,177,854 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $173,757,000 after buying an additional 24,642 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded up $0.38 during trading on Friday, reaching $143.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 923,760 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,674,240. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.74 and a 12 month high of $155.50. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $141.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.05 billion, a PE ratio of 25.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.65.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 21.91%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.42 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. American Water Works's payout ratio is currently 59.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In other news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of American Water Works stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on AWK shares. Barclays decreased their target price on American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Mizuho increased their price target on American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Argus increased their price target on American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group cut their price target on American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.30.

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.