Investment Management Corp of Ontario Raises Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Investment Management Corp of Ontario increased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 74.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,301 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,835 shares during the quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,407,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sovran Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $277,000. M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in American Water Works by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 65,249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,123,000 after buying an additional 2,113 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in American Water Works by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 42,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,261,000 after buying an additional 2,562 shares during the last quarter. PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $1,783,000. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its stake in American Water Works by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 77,492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,647,000 after buying an additional 8,930 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK stock opened at $146.81 on Monday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $28.63 billion, a PE ratio of 27.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.74 and a 12-month high of $155.50. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $144.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.94.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. American Water Works’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This is an increase from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is 60.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AWK shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com lowered American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Barclays assumed coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group lowered American Water Works from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $143.22.

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.