Howland Capital Management LLC Acquires 10,059 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• Howland Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 5.3%, owning 199,907 shares valued at approximately $29.49 million.
• American Water Works announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, representing a yield of 2.4% and a payout ratio of 59.64%.
• The company reported a year-over-year revenue increase of 11.1% in its latest quarter, with earnings per share of $1.48, which was below analysts’ expectations of $1.53.

Howland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 5.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 199,907 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 10,059 shares during the quarter. American Water Works makes up approximately 1.3% of Howland Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Howland Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.10% of American Water Works worth $29,490,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. US Bancorp DE increased its position in American Water Works by 10.8% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 52,710 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,776,000 after buying an additional 5,128 shares during the last quarter. Wealthquest Corp acquired a new position in American Water Works during the first quarter worth approximately $1,430,000. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in American Water Works by 31.3% during the first quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 96,280 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,203,000 after buying an additional 22,935 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC increased its position in American Water Works by 22.9% during the first quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vestcor Inc increased its position in American Water Works by 3.3% during the first quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 7,399 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,092,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE AWK traded up $1.20 on Monday, reaching $146.92. The company had a trading volume of 1,283,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,399,079. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The business has a 50 day moving average of $141.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.32. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.74 and a fifty-two week high of $155.50. The firm has a market cap of $28.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.65.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.42 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be paid a $0.8275 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AWK shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $156.00 target price (up previously from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Mizuho upped their target price on American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI upped their target price 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. Wall Street Zen cut American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $142.00.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In other news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total value of $404,766.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.