Sei Investments Co. Acquires 7,093 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in American Water Works by 1.3%, acquiring an additional 7,093 shares to reach a total of 552,857 shares valued at approximately $81.56 million.
• American Water Works announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.3%, with a payout ratio of 59.64%.
• Recent analysts' ratings on American Water Works show mixed sentiment, with four analysts giving a sell rating, six holding, and one buy rating, driving a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $141.44.

Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 552,857 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,093 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.28% of American Water Works worth $81,557,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. increased its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 1.5% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,679 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $690,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $412,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings 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 worth $237,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $255,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $908,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

American Water Works Trading Up 0.3%

AWK traded up $0.38 during trading on Friday, reaching $143.79. 923,760 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,674,240. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.05 billion, a PE ratio of 25.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.65. The stock's 50-day moving average is $141.71 and its 200 day moving average is $140.52. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The business's revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. 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 stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total transaction of $404,766.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,916.16. This represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.11% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.