Forsta AP Fonden Increases Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Forsta AP Fonden raised its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $4,332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 1.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,503,553 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,682,280,000 after buying an additional 214,082 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in American Water Works by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,564,193 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $665,163,000 after acquiring an additional 43,754 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,418,102 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $300,739,000 after acquiring an additional 125,128 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,245,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $328,354,000 after acquiring an additional 143,914 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 1,131.1% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,438,137 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $210,313,000 after purchasing an additional 1,321,320 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Performance

AWK stock opened at $124.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $127.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $136.54. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of American Water Works from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $133.00 to $129.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Mizuho cut American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $139.38.

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.