Nuance Investments LLC Sells 340,249 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Nuance Investments LLC lowered its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 35.5% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 618,060 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 340,249 shares during the quarter. American Water Works accounts for approximately 2.4% of Nuance Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $79,829,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. bought a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 71.9% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 239 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $147.16 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $28.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $149.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $141.39 and its 200 day moving average is $130.44.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.93% and a return on equity of 9.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were issued a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is 62.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $141.17.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In related 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 transaction of $101,423.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.