Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires New Shares in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 299,726 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $37,313,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.15% of American Water Works as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Providence First Trust Co bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Water Works by 54.2% during the 4th 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.4%

AWK stock traded up $0.56 during trading on Thursday, hitting $141.43. 1,097,039 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,218,700. 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 quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39. The company has a 50-day moving average of $144.33 and a 200-day moving average of $135.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.58 billion, a PE ratio of 26.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.95 EPS. Analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be issued a $0.8275 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. This is a positive change from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. American Water Works's payout ratio is presently 60.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AWK. Wall Street Zen lowered American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. UBS Group cut American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.22.

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.