American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Purchased by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank increased its stake in American Water Works by 16.3%, now holding approximately 224,486 shares valued at $33.1 million.
• American Water Works' quarterly dividend increased to $0.8275, reflecting an annualized rate of $3.31 and a dividend yield of 2.36%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on AWK stock, with an average target price of $141.67, including four sell ratings and one buy rating.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 16.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 224,486 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 31,390 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned approximately 0.12% of American Water Works worth $33,116,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. raised its stake in American Water Works by 1.5% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,679 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 2.6% in the first quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 2,795 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in American Water Works by 4.8% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,607 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in American Water Works by 1.4% during the first quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 6,157 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $908,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 8,438 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,051,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE AWK traded down $1.08 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $139.87. 717,001 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,386,502. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $141.30 and a 200 day moving average of $138.82. 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 quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market cap of $27.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.69.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted 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). American Water Works had a net margin of 22.24% and a return on equity of 10.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The company's revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.29%.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In other news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total transaction of $404,766.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. The trade was a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AWK. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $156.00 price target (up from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of 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. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $141.67.

American Water Works 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.