Aviva PLC Increases Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Aviva PLC lifted its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK – Get Rating) by 21.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 125,292 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,540 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $19,097,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in American Water Works by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 93,443 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,243,000 after acquiring an additional 13,811 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group purchased a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Patton Fund Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $207,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in American Water Works by 34.6% during the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after acquiring an additional 567 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its position in American Water Works by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 99,173 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,123,000 after acquiring an additional 5,249 shares in the last quarter. 83.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AWK shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on American Water Works from $134.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. TheStreet lowered American Water Works from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 15th. StockNews.com started coverage on American Water Works in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $156.00.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $142.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $146.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $148.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.73 billion, a PE ratio of 31.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.57. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.77 and a 1 year high of $162.59.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $938.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $903.84 million. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.22% and a net margin of 21.40%. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 4.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 9th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 8th. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 62.20%.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In related news, Director Michael Marberry acquired 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $142.35 per share, with a total value of $199,290.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $522,851.55. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Profile

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American Water Works Co, Inc engages in the provision of complementary water and wastewater services. It operates through the following segments: Regulated Businesses, Market-Based Businesses, and Other. The Regulated Businesses segment offers water and wastewater services to customers. The Market-Based Businesses segment includes the military services group, which enters into long-term contracts with the U.S.