Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Sells 23,142 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lessened its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 38.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,751 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 23,142 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $4,876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in American Water Works by 0.8% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 28,531 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,685,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $875,000. Sienna Gestion bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,119,000. Lokken Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 12.4% in the 2nd quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 7,503 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $969,000 after buying an additional 829 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beck Bode LLC bought a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $13,387,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at American Water Works

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

American Water Works Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $147.23 on Monday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.34 and a twelve month high of $150.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company’s 50 day moving average is $143.28 and its 200 day moving average is $131.85. The company has a market cap of $28.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.69.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 21.93%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 62.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.29.

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.