Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC Buys 6,087 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 118.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,087 shares during the quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,398,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in American Water Works by 29.0% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK opened at $128.66 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $25.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $124.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.87. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.77% and a return on equity of 9.75%. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on AWK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.57.

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.