Busey Bank Makes New $244,000 Investment in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Busey Bank bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,960 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $244,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AWK. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in American Water Works by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 117,393 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,614,000 after purchasing an additional 11,010 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden increased its holdings in American Water Works by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 34,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,332,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in American Water Works by 38.5% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 56,343 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,014,000 after acquiring an additional 15,668 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $205,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $123.56 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.34 and a 52-week high of $150.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a fifty day moving average of $127.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.63. The stock has a market cap of $24.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.47, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.71.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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