Nuveen Asset Management LLC Sells 45,835 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 695,392 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 45,835 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.36% of American Water Works worth $86,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Providence First Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in American Water Works by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.3%

AWK traded down $0.39 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $143.43. 1,699,336 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,218,675. The firm has a market cap of $27.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $144.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.74 and a 1 year high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.01). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. American Water Works's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This is an increase from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their target price 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. Barclays assumed coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.22.

American Water Works Company 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.