American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,040,000 shares, a growth of 9.8% from the October 31st total of 3,680,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,120,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of American Water Works stock traded down $1.47 on Tuesday, hitting $134.13. The company had a trading volume of 1,455,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,265,444. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $138.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $26.14 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $150.68.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on AWK shares. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho cut American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $142.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Water Works

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter worth $46,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the third quarter valued at $51,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.