American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Stock Holdings Lessened by Covea Finance

Covea Finance reduced its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 68.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 121,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 261,600 shares during the quarter. Covea Finance’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $15,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,858 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 1.2% in the third quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,424 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $938,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Invesco LLC boosted its position in American Water Works by 3.4% during the third quarter. Invesco LLC now owns 2,467 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $122.57 on Wednesday. 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’s 50-day moving average is $129.96 and its 200-day moving average is $137.13. The company has a market cap of $23.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.27, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.71. 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. 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. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of American Water Works from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $133.00 to $129.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.00.

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.