Werlinich Asset Management LLC Buys 230 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Werlinich Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 6.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,969 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Werlinich Asset Management LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $586,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Providence First Trust Co bought a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In other news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total transaction of $404,766.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,572 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,916.16. This represents a 27.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $140.04 on Monday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $143.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.68. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.74 and a 52-week high of $155.50. The firm has a market cap of $27.31 billion, a PE ratio of 25.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its 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). American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th were paid a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. This is a boost from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AWK shares. Barclays started coverage on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an “underweight” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group cut American Water Works from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.22.

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.