D.A. Davidson & CO. Grows Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 10.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,145 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,836 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $2,508,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in American Water Works by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 31,054 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,866,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in American Water Works by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,185 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth about $1,715,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 6,072 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $756,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $956,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $132.63 on Friday. 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 market cap of $25.85 billion, a PE ratio of 24.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.72. 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $124.87 and its 200 day moving average is $134.83.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 22.44%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AWK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group raised American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.57.

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.