Dark Forest Capital Management LP Purchases 3,529 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 170.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,529 shares during the quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $697,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Providence First Trust Co bought a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in American Water Works by 54.2% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $145.97 on Friday. 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 $28.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.08, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.68. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.74 and a 12 month high of $155.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $141.94 and its 200 day moving average is $134.51.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. Research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on AWK. Barclays began coverage on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded American Water Works from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $142.00.

American Water Works Company 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.