ProShare Advisors LLC Has $5.49 Million Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in American Water Works were worth $5,490,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Providence First Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of American Water Works stock traded up $1.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $143.11. The stock had a trading volume of 322,114 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,496,825. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $27.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $144.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.18. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.74 and a 52 week high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This is a boost 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 yield of 2.31%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price target 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays assumed coverage on 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. UBS Group downgraded American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.