2,092 Shares in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Acquired by Stevens Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Stevens Capital Management LP has taken a new position in American Water Works Company, acquiring 2,092 shares valued at approximately $309,000 during the first quarter.
• American Water Works recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.8275 per share, yielding 2.36%, up from the previous dividend of $0.77.
• Institutional investors currently own 86.58% of American Water Works stock, with several hedge funds increasing their holdings significantly in recent quarters.

Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,092 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $309,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in American Water Works during the first quarter worth approximately $558,000. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 37.8% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 62,772 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,260,000 after acquiring an additional 17,222 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 13,699 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,021,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Finally, SFE Investment Counsel lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. SFE Investment Counsel now owns 46,780 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,901,000 after acquiring an additional 4,627 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of American Water Works stock traded down $0.75 on Wednesday, hitting $140.21. The company had a trading volume of 306,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,383,799. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.74 and a twelve month high of $155.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $141.30 and a 200-day moving average of $138.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.35% and a net margin of 22.24%. The business's revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be paid a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.29%.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total value of $404,766.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. This represents a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $156.00 price target (up previously from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, July 11th. 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. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Evercore ISI raised 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. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $141.67.

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.