Toronto Dominion Bank Raises Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 23.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 119,282 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 22,855 shares during the quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank owned about 0.06% of American Water Works worth $14,849,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Providence First Trust Co purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Water Works by 54.2% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $143.59 on Tuesday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.74 and a 1 year high of $155.50. 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 stock has a market cap of $28.00 billion, a PE ratio of 26.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $144.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.02.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This is a positive change from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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. Barclays began coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Four research 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Water Works currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $143.22.

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.

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