RWC Asset Management LLP Increases Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

RWC Asset Management LLP boosted its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 69.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 40,197 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,434 shares during the period. RWC Asset Management LLP’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $5,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in American Water Works by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,219,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $290,729,000 after purchasing an additional 47,977 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in American Water Works by 5.6% during the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 85,976 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $11,967,000 after buying an additional 4,553 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc increased its position in American Water Works by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 489,371 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $63,863,000 after buying an additional 47,352 shares during the period. TSP Capital Management Group LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,559,000. Finally, Reaves W H & Co. Inc. increased its position in American Water Works by 80.1% during the third quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 281,145 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,133,000 after buying an additional 125,000 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Performance

American Water Works stock opened at $124.63 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.10, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $129.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $130.82. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $120.57 and a 52 week high of $147.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.05 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a $0.895 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 12th. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on AWK shares. Bank of America cut their price target on American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group raised American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $137.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, May 29th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.11.

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.