Sigma Planning Corp Sells 1,644 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Sigma Planning Corp trimmed its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,833 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,644 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $851,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 847 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in American Water Works by 25.5% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 15,514 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,248,000 after purchasing an additional 3,148 shares in the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden increased its stake in American Water Works by 12.1% in the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 34,200 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,001,000 after buying an additional 3,700 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in American Water Works by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 22,658 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,313,000 after buying an additional 1,535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its position in American Water Works by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,977 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $137.26 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.52. The company has a market capitalization of $26.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.34 and a 52-week high of $150.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWK has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded 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 report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.57.

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.