Sone Capital Management LLC Invests $8.88 Million in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Sone Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 71,288 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,875,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. St. Clair Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $249,000. Twinbeech Capital LP increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 826.0% during the fourth quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP now owns 76,864 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $9,569,000 after acquiring an additional 68,563 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 28,396 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,535,000 after acquiring an additional 4,091 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 23.7% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 119,282 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,849,000 after acquiring an additional 22,855 shares during the period. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC now owns 3,013 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AWK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays began coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. 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 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 note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $143.22.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of AWK traded up $1.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $143.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 740,281 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,218,192. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.74 and a 12-month high of $155.50. The stock has a market cap of $28.01 billion, a PE ratio of 26.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The company's 50 day moving average is $144.24 and its 200 day moving average is $135.23.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share 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 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 firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. American Water Works's revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a $0.8275 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This is a boost from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. American Water Works's payout ratio is 60.29%.

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.