American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Shares Up 2.1% – Still a Buy?

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) shares traded up 2.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $145.90 and last traded at $146.08. 144,076 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 1,139,637 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.06.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AWK. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.86.

American Water Works Stock Up 2.3 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $132.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $134.49. The company has a market capitalization of $28.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.15, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Pitcairn Co. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $201,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 3.1% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 390,302 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $56,566,000 after acquiring an additional 11,663 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 126,974 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $18,569,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 18,309 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,678,000 after purchasing an additional 1,054 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in American Water Works by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 353,641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $51,716,000 after purchasing an additional 36,424 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

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.