5,164 Shares in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Bought by Griffith & Werner Inc.

Griffith & Werner Inc. acquired a new position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 5,164 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $643,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Providence First Trust Co bought a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.4%

American Water Works stock traded down $0.52 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $143.09. 1,093,042 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,219,242. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.90 billion, a PE ratio of 26.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $144.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. This is a positive change from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AWK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays started coverage on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Water Works currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.22.

About American Water Works

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.