Swiss National Bank Buys 1,400 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 0.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 578,200 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.30% of American Water Works worth $84,556,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 155.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AWK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Mizuho cut American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Wolfe Research raised shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.00.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK opened at $136.67 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $140.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68. The firm has a market cap of $26.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.06, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Profile

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.