American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $121.37 and last traded at $121.4540, with a volume of 395486 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $124.33.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen started coverage on American Water Works in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Mizuho set a $145.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of American Water Works from $134.00 to $122.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $142.00 to $126.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of American Water Works from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $117.00 to $139.00 in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.89.

American Water Works Stock Down 1.0%

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $129.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $24.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.77.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 58.17%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Water Works

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its position in American Water Works by 14.5% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 350,471 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,782,000 after acquiring an additional 44,336 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 85,976 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $11,967,000 after purchasing an additional 4,553 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 31.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 136,504 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $19,000,000 after purchasing an additional 32,834 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in American Water Works by 88.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 257,413 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,829,000 after purchasing an additional 120,890 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in American Water Works by 7.2% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 116,690 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $16,242,000 after purchasing an additional 7,831 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About American Water Works

American Water Works Company, Inc (NYSE: AWK) is a publicly traded utility company that provides water and wastewater services in the United States. Its core business is the operation, management and maintenance of regulated water and wastewater systems that deliver potable water, collect and treat wastewater, and provide related customer services to residential, commercial and industrial customers as well as municipalities. The company’s operations include water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, meter reading and billing, emergency repairs, and long-term infrastructure planning and capital project execution.

In addition to its regulated utility operations, American Water offers complementary nonregulated services and solutions that support system reliability and customer needs.