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

Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the ten brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.8889.

AWK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen began coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised American Water Works from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $114.00 to $124.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Bank of America upgraded American Water Works from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $117.00 to $139.00 in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $134.00 to $122.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, UBS Group set a $149.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in American Water Works by 71.7% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works in the third quarter worth $27,000. Concord Wealth Partners purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new position in American Water Works during the third quarter valued at $28,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.1%

AWK opened at $125.66 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $24.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $130.14 and its 200 day moving average is $135.57. American Water Works has a fifty-two week low of $121.39 and a fifty-two week high of $155.50.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.17%.

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc (NYSE: AWK) is a publicly traded utility company that provides water and wastewater services in the United States. Its core business is the operation, management and maintenance of regulated water and wastewater systems that deliver potable water, collect and treat wastewater, and provide related customer services to residential, commercial and industrial customers as well as municipalities. The company’s operations include water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, meter reading and billing, emergency repairs, and long-term infrastructure planning and capital project execution.

In addition to its regulated utility operations, American Water offers complementary nonregulated services and solutions that support system reliability and customer needs.