US Bancorp DE Sells 9,033 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

US Bancorp DE lowered its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 15.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,006 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 9,033 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $5,867,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MV Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 110.8% in the 4th quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 79.2% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 2.8 %

AWK stock traded up $3.91 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $142.99. 534,938 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,331,311. The stock has a market cap of $27.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.21, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.34 and a fifty-two week high of $151.22. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $130.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.53.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.03). American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.74% and a net margin of 22.27%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $962.30 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. American Water Works’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 14th were paid a $0.765 dividend. This is an increase from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 13th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWK has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on American Water Works from $124.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. StockNews.com lowered American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.80.

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.