Short Interest in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Expands By 20.7%

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,820,000 shares, an increase of 20.7% from the January 31st total of 4,820,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,270,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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. UBS Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.57.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Water Works

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $294,524,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 120.7% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,174,395 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $395,180,000 after buying an additional 1,736,258 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in American Water Works by 38.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,695,734 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $335,592,000 after buying an additional 747,316 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment raised its position in American Water Works by 4,227.0% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 711,927 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 695,474 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at $71,120,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Trading Up 4.5 %

NYSE:AWK traded up $6.23 on Friday, reaching $144.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 762,162 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,345,778. The firm has a market cap of $28.15 billion, a PE ratio of 26.77, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $126.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.40. American Water Works has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $150.68.

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

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.