Sabal Trust CO Increases Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Sabal Trust CO boosted its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 177,283 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Sabal Trust CO’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $22,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AWK. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 155.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 31.7% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $137.26 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $26.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.47, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business’s 50 day moving average is $125.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.52. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. Analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. 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 report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three investment 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.com, the stock 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.