Sienna Gestion Decreases Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Key Points

• Sienna Gestion reduced its stake in American Water Works by 6.1%, now holding 52,686 shares valued at $7.55 million after selling 3,439 shares in the first quarter.
• American Water Works reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analyst expectations of $1.53 but achieved revenues of $1.28 billion, exceeding forecasts.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, equating to an annual yield of 2.3%, with a payout ratio of 59.64%.

Sienna Gestion decreased its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 6.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,686 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,439 shares during the quarter. Sienna Gestion's holdings in American Water Works were worth $7,555,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 0.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,248,263 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,724,624,000 after buying an additional 141,038 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 24.1% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,532,131 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $668,566,000 after acquiring an additional 878,951 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,357,726 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $418,003,000 after buying an additional 335,683 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 38.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,695,734 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $335,592,000 after buying an additional 747,316 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in American Water Works by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,109,409 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $262,601,000 after acquiring an additional 17,673 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK stock traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $143.79. 923,760 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,674,240. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $141.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $140.52. 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 P/E ratio of 25.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.65. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.74 and a fifty-two week high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.05). American Water Works had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.42 EPS. American Water Works's revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be issued a $0.8275 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. American Water Works's payout ratio is currently 59.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AWK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho increased their target price 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. Argus raised their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

About American Water Works

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.