American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Short Interest Up 11.3% in November
American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK – Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 2,860,000 shares, an increase of 11.3% from the November 15th total of 2,570,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,230,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.
American Water Works Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:AWK traded down $2.74 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $131.75. 2,258,357 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,077,431. American Water Works has a 52 week low of $114.25 and a 52 week high of $162.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $135.37. The company has a market cap of $25.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.65.
American Water Works (NYSE:AWK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.11. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.26% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.63 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Water Works will post 4.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.
American Water Works Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 8th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 7th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.71%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, Director Michael Marberry acquired 3,786 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $130.20 per share, with a total value of $492,937.20. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,459 shares in the company, valued at $971,161.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Avion Wealth acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter worth about $25,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. 84.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts have commented on AWK shares. Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $126.00 in a research note on Monday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $169.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 14th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “sell” rating on the stock. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of American Water Works from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on AWK
About American Water Works (Get Free Report)
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 1,600 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.4 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.
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