American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Bought by Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA

Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA boosted its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,654 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 286 shares during the quarter. American Water Works comprises about 1.1% of Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,575,000 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 AWK. Greenleaf Trust raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 23,549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,932,000 after buying an additional 1,031 shares during the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,658 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $704,000 after buying an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 307,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,333,000 after buying an additional 3,800 shares during the last quarter. Custom Index Systems LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at about $226,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,015,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE:AWK opened at $124.62 on Monday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.34 and a 12 month high of $150.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $127.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market cap of $24.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.72.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on AWK. Mizuho lowered American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded American Water Works from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $133.00 to $129.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $139.38.

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.