Zimmer Partners LP Decreases Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Zimmer Partners LP reduced its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 41.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 176,037 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 123,963 shares during the quarter. Zimmer Partners LP owned 0.09% of American Water Works worth $21,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Providence First Trust Co purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on AWK. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. UBS Group downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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. 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. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $143.22.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $143.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $144.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.00 billion, a PE ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.74 and a 52-week high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis 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%.

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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