Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Sells 97,964 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. significantly reduced its stake in American Water Works, trimming its holdings by 79.8% and retaining 24,765 shares worth approximately $3.65 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. and Sargent Investment Group LLC, increased their positions in American Water Works during the same quarter, with institutional ownership now at 86.58%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 2.3%, with a payout ratio of 59.64%.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lowered its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 79.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,765 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 97,964 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings in American Water Works were worth $3,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. boosted its position in American Water Works by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,679 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $690,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Sargent Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.6% during the first quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 2,795 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $412,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 4.8% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,607 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 5.0% during the first quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 1.4% during the first quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 6,157 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $908,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AWK. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $143.30.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total value of $404,766.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,916.16. The trade was a 27.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded up $0.0880 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $145.9580. The company's stock had a trading volume of 963,948 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,632,087. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $142.14 and a 200-day moving average of $141.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.30, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.74 and a 12-month high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its 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). The business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 21.91%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.42 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be given 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 currently 59.64%.

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.