Perennial Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Perennial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 41,719 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,194,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Griffith & Werner Inc. bought a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at about $643,000. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 23.7% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 119,282 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $14,849,000 after acquiring an additional 22,855 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $8,342,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $87,000. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $821,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of American Water Works stock traded up $1.72 on Friday, reaching $143.26. 303,703 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,215,164. The company has a 50 day moving average of $144.33 and a 200 day moving average of $135.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.94 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.74 and a 52 week high of $155.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

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

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be issued a $0.8275 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. This is a boost from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. American Water Works's payout ratio is 60.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. 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. Barclays began coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.22.

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.