American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Purchased by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 15.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 564,074 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 77,552 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.29% of American Water Works worth $70,185,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $294,524,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 120.7% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,174,395 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $395,180,000 after purchasing an additional 1,736,258 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $71,120,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,490,423 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $553,687,000 after buying an additional 477,411 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,142,465 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $391,205,000 after buying an additional 414,568 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of AWK traded up $0.53 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $146.39. The company had a trading volume of 234,442 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,216,368. 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. The company's 50 day moving average price is $142.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.65. The stock has a market cap of $28.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.15, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.09. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.11 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. This is a boost from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Barclays initiated coverage on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised American Water Works from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $142.00.

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.