IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Grows Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd increased its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. by 116.7%, acquiring an additional 8,262 shares, bringing its total holdings to 15,342 shares worth approximately $2.26 million.
• Several large investors, including Allianz SE and Blair William & Co., have also added to their stakes, with institutional investors now owning 86.58% of the company's stock.
• American Water Works declared a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, with an annualized dividend yield of 2.3%, set to be paid on September 3rd.

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd boosted its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 116.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,342 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,262 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd's holdings in American Water Works were worth $2,263,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the first quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC grew its holdings in American Water Works by 78.3% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 410 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,916.16. This represents a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays cut 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $156.00 target price (up previously from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $142.00.

American Water Works Stock Performance

American Water Works stock traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $141.87. 2,087,807 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,500,308. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50 day moving average of $141.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.47. 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 1.15, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.42 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

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

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.