Empower Advisory Group LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Empower Advisory Group LLC lessened its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 64,959 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,031 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $8,087,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AWK. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,418,102 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $300,739,000 after purchasing an additional 125,128 shares during the period. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 42,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,261,000 after purchasing an additional 2,562 shares during the period. Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 65.5% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 106,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,557,000 after purchasing an additional 42,094 shares during the period. Finally, PFW Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,783,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.2 %

AWK stock opened at $127.12 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.34 and a twelve month high of $150.68. The company’s 50 day moving average is $125.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.06. The stock has a market cap of $24.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.17, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.72.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 60.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on AWK. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of American Water Works from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $133.00 to $129.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.00.

American Water Works 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.