Boston Common Asset Management LLC Lowers Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 13.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 192,750 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 28,737 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC owned 0.10% of American Water Works worth $28,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 100.0% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Water Works by 71.9% in the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $136.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market cap of $26.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.69. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $143.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.00. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $150.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.05). American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 21.93%. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. American Water Works’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were given a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 62.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AWK. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.00.

American Water Works 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.