Blue Trust Inc. Sells 495 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Blue Trust Inc. trimmed its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 58.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 495 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $44,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 155.6% in 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. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew 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. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in American Water Works in the third quarter valued at $51,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK opened at $135.01 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $125.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.52. The firm has a market cap of $26.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.05, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.09. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. As a group, analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 56.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. 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, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.57.

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.