Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Has $4.57 Million Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $4,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in American Water Works by 155.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter worth about $46,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the third quarter worth about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AWK shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK stock opened at $134.23 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.16 billion, a PE ratio of 26.58, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $113.34 and a one year high of $150.68. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $141.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 60.59%.

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.