Genus Capital Management Inc. Makes New Investment in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Genus Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 14,640 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,160,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the first quarter worth $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 54.2% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE:AWK traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $143.36. 998,576 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,413,903. The firm has a market cap of $27.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.69. 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $141.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $137.38. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.35% and a net margin of 22.24%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 13th. This is a boost from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. American Water Works's payout ratio is 60.29%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 available at this link. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AWK shares. UBS Group reaffirmed 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays cut 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. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. 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 analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $141.67.

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.