Virtu Financial LLC Makes New Investment in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 16,205 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,017,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Providence First Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AWK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.86.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $140.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.47 billion, a PE ratio of 26.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.51. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $113.34 and a one year high of $152.07.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. Research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.