Vident Advisory LLC Sells 4,083 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Vident Advisory LLC trimmed its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 58.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,895 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,083 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in American Water Works were worth $360,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AWK. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Providence First Trust Co bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays initiated coverage on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on 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 downgraded American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.22.

American Water Works Stock Performance

AWK traded up $1.14 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $142.68. The company had a trading volume of 3,771,555 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,230,239. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $144.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.52. The company has a market cap of $27.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.74 and a 1 year high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. As a group, equities research 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 business also recently declared 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 is a boost from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.29%.

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.