United Advisor Group LLC Buys Shares of 2,984 American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

United Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,984 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $440,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $294,524,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 120.7% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,174,395 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $395,180,000 after buying an additional 1,736,258 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 38.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,695,734 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $335,592,000 after buying an additional 747,316 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 20,534.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 615,306 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $90,770,000 after buying an additional 612,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $71,120,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

NYSE:AWK opened at $140.93 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.74 and a twelve month high of $155.50. The company has a market capitalization of $27.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $143.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.92.

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

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th were given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 13th. This is a boost from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays assumed coverage on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. 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 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.22.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In other American Water Works news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.11% of the stock is currently 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.