MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Reduces Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH lessened its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 7.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,055 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,281 shares during the period. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $2,516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AWK. M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 65,249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,123,000 after buying an additional 2,113 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,715,000. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $373,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 6,235 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $776,000 after buying an additional 557 shares during the period. Finally, Redmond Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $856,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total value of $404,766.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,572 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of American Water Works from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.22.

American Water Works Price Performance

American Water Works stock opened at $141.26 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $27.55 billion, a PE ratio of 26.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.71. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.74 and a 52-week high of $155.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company’s 50 day moving average is $143.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.79.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. American Water Works’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect 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 was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th were issued a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 13th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.29%.

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.