Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 39,550 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Clearbridge Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 284,019 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 39,550 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 0.15% of American Water Works worth $35,358,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in American Water Works by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,418,102 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $300,739,000 after purchasing an additional 125,128 shares during the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $277,000. M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 65,249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,123,000 after buying an additional 2,113 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 42,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,261,000 after buying an additional 2,562 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,783,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $146.96 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $133.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $28.65 billion, a PE ratio of 27.27, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.34 and a 12 month high of $152.07.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 EPS 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 company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. On average, research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.