Sigma Planning Corp Has $851,000 Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Sigma Planning Corp decreased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 19.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,833 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,644 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $851,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AWK. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in American Water Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in American Water Works by 31.7% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AWK shares. UBS Group upgraded 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on American Water Works from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.57.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK opened at $137.26 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $125.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $134.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.76 billion, a PE ratio of 25.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $150.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.39.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.77%.

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.