Atom Investors LP Reduces Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Atom Investors LP decreased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 13.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 10,853 shares during the quarter. American Water Works makes up 1.0% of Atom Investors LP’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Atom Investors LP’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $9,942,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth $9,750,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in American Water Works by 25.8% during the third quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 249,569 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,496,000 after purchasing an additional 51,196 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its position in American Water Works by 3.0% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 34,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co bought a new stake in American Water Works during the third quarter valued at about $216,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in American Water Works by 9.1% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 200,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,386,000 after purchasing an additional 16,805 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at $5,268,308. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AWK. UBS Group raised American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Mizuho downgraded American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.29.

American Water Works Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $136.94 on Monday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.34 and a 52-week high of $150.68. The stock has a market cap of $26.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.12, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $138.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.89.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 60.59%.

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.