Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC Lowers Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC reduced its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 12.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 900 shares during the period. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $809,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its position in American Water Works by 29.0% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the third quarter valued at $51,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in American Water Works by 31.7% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 446.2% during the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

NYSE:AWK opened at $126.69 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market cap of $24.69 billion, a PE ratio of 25.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.08. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $150.68.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho downgraded American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded American Water Works from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $133.00 to $129.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.00.

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.