California Public Employees Retirement System Cuts Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,165,785 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,802 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.60% of American Water Works worth $153,872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,651 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $461,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,967 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,853,000 after purchasing an additional 956 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in American Water Works by 17.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 802 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth $463,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded up $0.90 on Tuesday, hitting $120.16. 248,968 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,447,493. The company has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.65. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $152.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $119.20 and its 200 day moving average is $124.21.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.70% and a net margin of 22.30%. The business’s revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AWK has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI cut American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In related news, EVP Melanie M. Kennedy sold 843 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.59, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.