Janus Henderson Group PLC Buys 141,513 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 617.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 164,420 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 141,513 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned about 0.08% of American Water Works worth $20,470,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. KKM Financial LLC increased its position in American Water Works by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 14,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,831,000 after acquiring an additional 987 shares during the period. Humankind Investments LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Humankind Investments LLC now owns 4,376 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the period. Geller Advisors LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Geller Advisors LLC now owns 2,387 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 24.5% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 5,950 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $741,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in American Water Works by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 27,547 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,494,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $140.33 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.74 and a twelve month high of $155.50. The firm has a market cap of $27.37 billion, a PE ratio of 26.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $144.28 and a 200-day moving average of $134.95.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.01). American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays assumed coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.22.

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.