Impax Asset Management Group plc Trims Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Impax Asset Management Group plc decreased its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,636,529 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,041,719 shares during the quarter. American Water Works accounts for 2.6% of Impax Asset Management Group plc’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Impax Asset Management Group plc owned about 2.38% of American Water Works worth $576,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position 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 worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in American Water Works by 29.0% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $132.63 on Monday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s 50-day moving average is $124.93 and its 200 day moving average is $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its 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 firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.77%.

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.