American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wells Fargo & Company

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $129.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $133.00. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target points to a potential upside of 5.29% from the stock’s previous close.

AWK has been the topic of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated 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 on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Mizuho cut American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. 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 report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Three equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.00.

American Water Works Stock Performance

AWK stock opened at $122.52 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $23.88 billion, a PE ratio of 24.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.71. American Water Works has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a 50 day moving average of $131.14 and a 200-day moving average of $137.31.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 155.6% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 31.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in American Water Works by 446.2% during the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the period. Finally, Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.