American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Stock Price Up 2.1% – Should You Buy?

Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) traded up 2.1% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $145.90 and last traded at $146.08. 144,076 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 1,139,637 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AWK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.86.

American Water Works Stock Up 2.3 %

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $133.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market cap of $28.52 billion, a PE ratio of 27.14, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.09. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Providence First Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Company 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.