American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Sold by Gabelli Funds LLC

Gabelli Funds LLC trimmed its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 0.9% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 129,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,199 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $15,875,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. MV Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in 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 American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in 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. increased its holdings in American Water Works by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 71.9% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 239 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE:AWK traded up $1.61 on Friday, reaching $141.71. The stock had a trading volume of 645,036 shares, compared to its average volume of 796,334. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a 50-day moving average of $132.18 and a 200 day moving average of $126.07. The stock has a market cap of $27.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.67. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $151.22.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $962.30 million. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.27% and a return on equity of 9.74%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.91 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th were given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This is a boost 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 dividend yield of 2.16%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on AWK shares. StockNews.com downgraded American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $124.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two 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 an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.