Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Raises Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 4.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 53,825 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,120 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $7,871,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Summit Trail Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Water Works by 7.1% during the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 2,736 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 65.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 106,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,557,000 after acquiring an additional 42,094 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the third quarter valued at $201,000. KKM Financial LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 13,720 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,006,000 after purchasing an additional 1,045 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in American Water Works by 37.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 282,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,274,000 after buying an additional 76,785 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

AWK stock opened at $136.76 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $150.68. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $139.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.78. The firm has a market cap of $26.65 billion, a PE ratio of 27.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AWK. UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research raised shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Mizuho lowered American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $142.29.

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.