American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Shares Purchased by Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd increased its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 51.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,660 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,926 shares during the quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $6,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK stock opened at $137.63 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $139.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.80. The stock has a market cap of $26.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.25, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.34 and a fifty-two week high of $150.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 60.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Water Works news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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