Inceptionr LLC Takes Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Inceptionr LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 14,361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,788,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Providence First Trust Co acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in 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 during the period. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Down 1.0 %

American Water Works stock opened at $137.83 on Thursday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.34 and a twelve month high of $150.68. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $126.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued 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. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. UBS Group raised 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 report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.57.

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.