PharVision Advisers LLC Makes New Investment in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

PharVision Advisers LLC bought a new position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 6,593 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $821,000. American Water Works comprises about 0.7% of PharVision Advisers LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Providence First Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays began coverage on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised 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 research note on Friday, May 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.22.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK stock opened at $143.80 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $144.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $135.08. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $118.74 and a one year high of $155.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This is a boost from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is 60.29%.

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.