American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $145.3750.

A number of brokerages recently commented on AWK. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $142.00 target price for the company. Mizuho set a $145.00 target price on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen began coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. PFG Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 33.4% during the first quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 9,699 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,431,000 after acquiring an additional 2,429 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 10,547 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,556,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 28.4% in the 2nd quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 11,577 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,610,000 after purchasing an additional 2,562 shares in the last quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 3,652 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 144.4% in the 2nd quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 14,729 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,049,000 after purchasing an additional 8,703 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of AWK stock opened at $134.85 on Friday. American Water Works has a 12 month low of $118.74 and a 12 month high of $155.50. The firm has a market cap of $26.31 billion, a PE ratio of 24.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $140.36 and a 200-day moving average of $141.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 21.91%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.42 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that American Water Works will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

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.