Green Alpha Advisors LLC Sells 2,522 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Green Alpha Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 55.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,052 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,522 shares during the period. Green Alpha Advisors LLC's holdings in American Water Works were worth $303,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Providence First Trust Co bought a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works by 54.2% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group cut shares of American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $143.22.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

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 now owns 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 owned by corporate insiders.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE AWK traded down $0.54 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $141.88. 1,097,091 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,221,037. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.74 and a 12-month high of $155.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $144.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.62. The firm has a market cap of $27.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. American Water Works's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. This is a boost from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. American Water Works's payout ratio is currently 60.29%.

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.