The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Grows Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 1.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 126,974 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,250 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.07% of American Water Works worth $18,569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in American Water Works by 31.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,268,308. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group raised 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 research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.29.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $136.94 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $138.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.86. 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 stock has a market cap of $26.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $113.34 and a one year high of $150.68.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

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.