Benjamin Edwards Inc. Has $43.48 Million Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 941.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 297,243 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 268,712 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $43,475,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter worth $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in American Water Works by 155.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of AWK stock opened at $136.94 on Monday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $138.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $26.69 billion, a PE ratio of 27.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.765 dividend. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on AWK. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wolfe Research raised shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Mizuho cut shares of American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $142.29.

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.