Empower Advisory Group LLC Has $10.11 Million Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 5.5%, owning 68,514 shares worth approximately $10.11 million as of the latest filing.
• American Water Works reported a missed EPS estimate of $1.48, below the consensus of $1.53, despite a revenue increase of 11.1% year-over-year to $1.28 billion.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share has been announced, reflecting a 2.3% dividend yield with an expected payout ratio of 59.64%.

Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 5.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 68,514 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,555 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC's holdings in American Water Works were worth $10,107,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works during the first quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works during the first quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $141.48 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day moving average is $141.28 and its 200-day moving average is $139.47. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.74 and a 12 month high of $155.50. The firm has a market cap of $27.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 21.91%. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.42 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be issued 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 59.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price objective 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, August 1st. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $156.00 price target (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 issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $142.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. This represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate 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.

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