Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Boosts Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 3,229.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 269,210 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 261,125 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of American Water Works worth $35,533,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MV Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in American Water Works by 110.8% during the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 79.2% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Key Financial Inc lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 266.7% in the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 275 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Water Works news, EVP Melanie M. Kennedy sold 843 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.59, for a total transaction of $100,814.37. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,942,141.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of AWK traded up $0.83 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $125.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,228,172 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,487,754. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $151.24. The stock has a market cap of $24.54 billion, a PE ratio of 25.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The company’s 50 day moving average is $119.21 and its 200 day moving average is $124.27.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.04). American Water Works had a net margin of 22.30% and a return on equity of 9.70%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $962.30 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.91 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 13th. This is an increase from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AWK shares. StockNews.com lowered American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI lowered American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th.

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.