Dearborn Partners LLC Cuts Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Dearborn Partners LLC trimmed its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 223,064 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,042 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $32,621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% in the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in American Water Works in the second quarter worth $46,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the second quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in American Water Works during the third quarter valued at $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $132.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $141.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.25. 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 market capitalization of $25.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.16, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.59%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AWK shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Mizuho downgraded 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 report on Tuesday, October 15th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.00.

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.