B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Acquires Shares of 103,625 American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 103,625 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $15,154,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG owned about 0.05% of American Water Works at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its position in American Water Works by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,897 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $716,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its position in American Water Works by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 48,618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,110,000 after buying an additional 4,944 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 8.5% during the third quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $621,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the third quarter worth about $227,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 18.8% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 121,574 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $17,779,000 after purchasing an additional 19,244 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were 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 $5,268,308. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $136.67 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $140.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.57. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $150.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.06, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AWK shares. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wolfe Research raised shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.29.

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.