Avalon Trust Co Acquires Shares of 149,925 American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 149,925 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $18,664,000. American Water Works comprises 1.3% of Avalon Trust Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Avalon Trust Co owned approximately 0.08% of American Water Works as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also 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, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of American Water Works from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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 $144.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.16 billion, a PE ratio of 26.80, 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 $129.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.50. 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.

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.