Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Has $379,000 Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management decreased its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,870 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 82 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. MV Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 110.8% in the 4th quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works by 79.2% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Key Financial Inc increased its stake in American Water Works by 266.7% in the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 275 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AWK. StockNews.com cut American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI lowered American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and cut their price target for the company from $160.00 to $135.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Water Works news, EVP Melanie M. Kennedy sold 843 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.59, for a total value of $100,814.37. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,240 shares in the company, valued at $1,942,141.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of AWK stock opened at $132.96 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $120.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.34 and a 1 year high of $151.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.97, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.62.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $962.30 million. American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.74% and a net margin of 22.27%. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.91 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be paid a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 13th. This is a boost from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.40%.

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.