American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on AWK. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.86.

American Water Works Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $147.36 on Friday. American Water Works has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $155.50. The business has a 50 day moving average of $135.56 and a 200-day moving average of $134.28. 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 stock has a market cap of $28.74 billion, a PE ratio of 27.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.68.

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

Institutional Trading of American Water Works

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AWK. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its stake in American Water Works by 5.2% during the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 4,472 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $660,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in American Water Works by 197.6% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Centre Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 1st quarter worth approximately $219,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in American Water Works by 39.6% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,072 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $158,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fire Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $606,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.