American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,575 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,106 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,985,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 155.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter worth about $51,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

NYSE:AWK opened at $134.23 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $141.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.49. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $150.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.58, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 60.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Mizuho cut shares of American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.00.

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.