American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Mizuho Analyst Says

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at Mizuho from $130.00 to $140.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Mizuho’s target price suggests a potential upside of 2.97% from the stock’s previous close.

AWK has been the topic of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Truist Financial cut their price target on American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Water Works from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price objective on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.10.

American Water Works Stock Performance

AWK stock traded down $0.84 on Friday, reaching $135.97. 861,855 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,981,687. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.55 billion, a PE ratio of 23.57, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.61. American Water Works has a 12 month low of $120.57 and a 12 month high of $147.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $129.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.34.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.35% and a return on equity of 10.38%. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.48 EPS. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Water Works will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Water Works

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 11.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,912 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $872,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 16,466 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,429,000 after purchasing an additional 4,762 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter worth about $302,000. Cresset Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 5,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $816,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 184.4% during the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 5,492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $764,000 after purchasing an additional 3,561 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About American Water Works

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.