National Bank of Canada FI Sells 64,898 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• National Bank of Canada FI has reduced its holdings in American Water Works by 40.2%, selling 64,898 shares during the 1st quarter, leaving them with a total of 96,565 shares valued at approximately $14.25 million.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on American Water Works, with target prices ranging from $128.00 to $156.00, while the current consensus rating is a "Hold."
• The company reported a quarterly earnings miss with $1.48 EPS, falling short of estimates, but revenue rose 11.1% year-over-year, amounting to $1.28 billion.

National Bank of Canada FI lowered its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 40.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 96,565 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 64,898 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in American Water Works were worth $14,245,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 1st quarter worth approximately $48,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 1st quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. 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 report on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $156.00 target price (up previously from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays decreased their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $142.00.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $145.54 on Tuesday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.74 and a 52-week high of $155.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $141.47 and a 200-day moving average of $140.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.35.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. American Water Works's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is 59.64%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the company's 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

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.

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