American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Sold by Freedom Investment Management Inc.

Freedom Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 37.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,105 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 5,466 shares during the quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,332,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 4.2% during the third quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,858 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.9% during the third quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 2,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $408,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Invesco LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 3.4% during the third quarter. Invesco LLC now owns 2,467 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 1.6% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 5,415 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $699,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.0% during the second quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 4,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $593,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK stock opened at $138.31 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a 50 day moving average of $139.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.80. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $150.68. The company has a market cap of $26.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.39, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AWK shares. Mizuho lowered American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group raised American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $142.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the business’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 transaction of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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.