BNP Paribas Sells 1,048 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

BNP Paribas lowered its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 20.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,956 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,048 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas’ holdings in American Water Works were worth $579,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 20.1% during the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 14,082 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,744,000 after purchasing an additional 2,358 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 33.4% in the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 31,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,898,000 after purchasing an additional 7,988 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 14.3% in the first quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 5,853 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works in the first quarter valued at about $171,000. Finally, Swedbank AB bought a new stake in American Water Works in the first quarter valued at about $8,134,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $138.31 on Thursday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $150.68. The business has a 50-day moving average of $139.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.80. The company has a market capitalization of $26.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is presently 60.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AWK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.