Quarry LP Takes Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,774 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Providence First Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK traded up $0.61 during trading on Friday, reaching $147.04. 1,115,855 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,208,084. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.74 and a 12-month high of $155.50. The stock has a market cap of $28.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.28, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.68. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $143.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. American Water Works's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This is a positive change from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered American Water Works from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of American Water Works from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.