Dudley & Shanley Inc. Increases Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Dudley & Shanley Inc. raised its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 0.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 161,014 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 120 shares during the quarter. American Water Works accounts for 3.7% of Dudley & Shanley Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Dudley & Shanley Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $23,753,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AWK. Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 44,753 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,602,000 after buying an additional 2,496 shares during the last quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 9,015 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,330,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares during the period. Mechanics Bank Trust Department acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter worth $277,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 6.4% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 408,105 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $60,204,000 after purchasing an additional 24,402 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 7.8% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,291 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE AWK opened at $142.68 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $27.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.47, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.73. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $144.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.74 and a 52 week high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.01). American Water Works had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 10.29%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is presently 60.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AWK shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of American Water Works from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. UBS Group downgraded shares of American Water Works from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.22.

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.