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

Dearborn Partners LLC lowered its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 19.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 175,674 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 43,279 shares during the quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC owned 0.09% of American Water Works worth $25,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AWK. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 78.3% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 410 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of American Water Works 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Water Works Stock Up 3.9%

American Water Works stock traded up $5.48 during trading on Friday, reaching $145.72. The stock had a trading volume of 2,693,140 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,105,963. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.74 and a 52-week high of $155.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $141.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.12. The stock has a market cap of $28.43 billion, a PE ratio of 26.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.65.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 21.91%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.42 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be issued a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis 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 presently 59.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AWK has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $156.00 price objective (up from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works currently 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.