Wesbanco Bank Inc. Boosts Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 85,976 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,553 shares during the quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $11,967,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new stake in American Water Works during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Concord Wealth Partners bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on AWK. UBS Group set a $149.00 price target on American Water Works in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $114.00 to $124.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of American Water Works from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $117.00 to $139.00 in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Mizuho set a $145.00 price objective on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.89.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK stock opened at $123.20 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $129.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.21. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $121.28 and a 52 week high of $155.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.77.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is presently 58.17%.

American Water Works Profile

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.