Wesbanco Bank Inc. Increases Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 85,976 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,553 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $11,967,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in American Water Works by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,912 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $872,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 16,466 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,429,000 after purchasing an additional 4,762 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter valued at $302,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 3.5% during the second quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 3,354 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 5.7% during the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 55,699 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,748,000 after buying an additional 2,989 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

AWK opened at $123.20 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $129.87 and its 200 day moving average is $135.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $24.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.65, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.77. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $121.28 and a 12-month high of $155.50.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be issued a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays decreased their target price on American Water Works from $134.00 to $122.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $114.00 to $124.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Mizuho set a $145.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.89.

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc (NYSE: AWK) is a publicly traded utility company that provides water and wastewater services in the United States. Its core business is the operation, management and maintenance of regulated water and wastewater systems that deliver potable water, collect and treat wastewater, and provide related customer services to residential, commercial and industrial customers as well as municipalities. The company’s operations include water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, meter reading and billing, emergency repairs, and long-term infrastructure planning and capital project execution.

In addition to its regulated utility operations, American Water offers complementary nonregulated services and solutions that support system reliability and customer needs.