American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Bought by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Key Points

• The Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in American Water Works by 1.9%, owning 174,401 shares valued at approximately $25.73 million.
• American Water Works announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, equating to a dividend yield of 2.3%, set to be paid on September 3rd.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Hold" on American Water Works, with an average target price of $142.00, reflecting varied opinions on the company’s stock performance.

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 174,401 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,225 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System owned approximately 0.09% of American Water Works worth $25,728,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter worth about $48,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AWK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays cut their target price on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Four equities research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $142.00.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total transaction of $404,766.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. This represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE AWK traded up $0.87 on Friday, reaching $145.29. 1,986,715 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,576,475. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.74 and a fifty-two week high of $155.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $141.41 and a 200 day moving average of $139.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.35 billion, a PE ratio of 26.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.65.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.42 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is 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.