American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Stake Raised by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 37.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 282,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 76,785 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC owned about 0.14% of American Water Works worth $41,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group raised American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $142.29.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $137.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $26.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $140.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.73. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $150.68.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is 60.59%.

Insider Activity

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available 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.