Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Stock

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) had its price target upped by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $133.00 to $142.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 0.69% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. StockNews.com raised American Water Works from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.86.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE AWK traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $141.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 334,369 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,422,627. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.16, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $128.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works has a twelve month low of $113.34 and a twelve month high of $152.07.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. Analysts anticipate that American Water Works will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Water Works

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $1,123,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 294.0% during the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 8,629 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 6,439 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,313,000. ABLE Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 27.0% in the 4th quarter. ABLE Financial Group LLC now owns 8,902 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.