American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) shares currently have a 125/250 day adjusted slope average of 20.18139.  The Adjusted Slope 125/250d indicator is equal to the average annualized exponential regression slope, over the past 125 and 250 trading days, multiplied by the coefficient of determination (R²). This indicator is useful in helping find shares that have been on a consistent upward direction over the past six months to a year. Generally speaking, the higher the 125/250 value the better as this would indicate a consistent increase closely correlates to the actual stock price.

As we move closer towards the end of the year, investors may be undertaking a portfolio review. Reviewing trades over the past six months, investors should be able to see what has worked and what has not. There might be some stocks that have outperformed the market, and there might be some underperformers as well. Focusing on what has worked so far this year may help provide a clearer picture for future moves. Pinpointing what went wrong can also help the investor see which areas of the portfolio need improvement. If the stock market continues on to reach new heights, investors might be looking to lock in some profits before making the next big trade.   

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) of the Gas, Water & Multiutilities sector closed the recent session at 119.310000 with a market value of $21568405.

Investor Target Weight

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) has a current suggested portfolio rate of 0.06210 (as a decimal) ownership.  Target weight is the volatility adjusted recommended position size for a stock in your portfolio.  The maximum target weight is 7% for any given stock.  The indicator is based off of the 100 day volatility reading and calculates a target weight accordingly.  The more recent volatility of a stock, the lower the target weight will be.  The 3-month volatility stands at 16.103900 (decimal).  This is the normal returns and standard deviation of the stock price over three months annualized. 

Drilling down into some additional key near-term indicators we note that the Capex to PPE ratio stands at 0.085706 for American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK).  The Capex to PPE ratio shows you how capital intensive a company is. Stocks with an increasing (year over year) ratio may be moving to be more capital intensive and often underperform the market. Higher Capex also often means lower Free Cash Flow (Operating cash flow – Capex) generation and lower dividends as companies don’t have the cash to pay dividends if they are investing more in the business.

Investing in the stock market has traditionally offered bigger returns than other types of investments. Along with the opportunity for higher returns comes a higher amount of risk. Stocks can be exposed to both market risk and business or financial risk. Market risk may be evident when the overall market takes a nose dive. Investors may hold stock of a company that has been performing great, but due to poor market conditions, the stock decreases in value. Investors may look to offset this risk by investing in other vehicles that don’t tend to move together. The business risk with stocks involves factors that may cause a company to perform poorly. This may include bad management, heightened competition, and declining company profits. Investors may try to limit this risk by creating a diversified portfolio including stocks from different sectors.

In addition to Capex to PPE we can look at Cash Flow to Capex.  This ration compares a stock’s operating cash flow to its capital expenditure and can identify if a firm can generate enough cash to meet investment needs.  Investors are looking for a ratio greater than one, which indicates that the firm can meet that need. Comparing to other firms in the same industry is relevant for this ratio. American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)’s Cash Flow to Capex stands at 0.855591.

Debt

In looking at some Debt ratios, American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) has a debt to equity ratio of 1.49321 and a Free Cash Flow to Debt ratio of -0.024451.  This ratio provides insight as to how high the firm’s total debt is compared to its free cash flow generated.  In terms of Net Debt to EBIT, that ratio stands at 7.62417.  This ratio reveals how easily a company is able to pay interest and capital on its net outstanding debt.  The lower the ratio the better as that indicates that the company is able to meet its interest and capital payments. Lastly we’ll take note of the Net Debt to Market Value ratio.  American Water Works Company, Inc.’s ND to MV current stands at 0.424185. This ratio is calculated as follows: Net debt (Total debt minus Cash ) / Market value of the company.

Investors often hear the saying “buy low, sell high”. This may seem highly obvious to anybody looking to get into the stock market. Even though investors typically know they should do this, novices tend to do just the opposite, buy high and sell low. Often times, amateur investors will get carried away when a stock is trending higher. They may attempt to get in on the stock after a big move with hopes of the stock going higher and an overall thought that relates to the fear of missing out. Often times, investors will find themselves in a precarious situation when this occurs. They might have taken a chance on a stock that maybe was too good to be true. Investors may regret buying after the big move when the price has far exceeded the underlying value. Closely watching the fundamentals may help investors avoid getting into sticky situations such as buying too high.  

Near-Term Growth Drilldown

Now we’ll take a look at some key growth data as decimals. One year cash flow growth ratio is calculated on a trailing 12 months basis and is a one year percentage growth of a firm’s cash flow from operations.  This number stands at -0.05771 for American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK).  The one year Growth EBIT ratio stands at 0.04530 and is a calculation of one year growth in earnings before interest and taxes.  The one year EBITDA growth number stands at 0.06303 which is calculated similarly to EBIT Growth with just the addition of amortization.

Taking even a further look we note that the 1 year Free Cash Flow (FCF) Growth is at -0.04063.  The one year growth in Net Profit after Tax is 0.39868 and lastly sales growth was 0.04310.

Investors may be searching high and low for the next breakout winner in the stock market. As companies continue to release quarterly earnings reports, investors will be looking for stocks that have the potential to move to the upside in the coming months. Tracking earnings can be a good way for investors to see how the company is stacking up to analyst estimates. Some investors prefer to track sell-side estimates very closely. Others prefer to do their own research and make their own best guesses on what the actual numbers will be. A solid earnings beat may help ease investor worries if the stock has been underperforming recently. On the flip side, a bad earnings miss may cause investors to take a much closer look at what the future prospects look like for the company.