Truist Financial Corp Sells 11,735 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Truist Financial Corp cut its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 39.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,081 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 11,735 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $2,251,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 29.0% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $135.01 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.52. The firm has a market cap of $26.32 billion, a PE ratio of 25.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.34 and a twelve month 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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. Analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.