American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Stock Position Increased by King Luther Capital Management Corp

King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 5,433.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 91,199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 89,551 shares during the period. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $11,808,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter worth $29,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 73.1% during the third quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 361.0% during the third quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 43.5% during the third quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 287 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $147.62 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $137.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.23. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $120.57 and a 52 week high of $153.69. The stock has a market cap of $29.39 billion, a PE ratio of 25.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.56.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The utilities provider reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.04 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.58 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.26% and a return on equity of 10.14%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.8950 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 12th. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group downgraded shares of American Water Works from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $153.00 to $162.00 in a report on Friday, November 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Truist Financial set a $139.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $144.12.

Key Stories Impacting American Water Works

These are some of the AWK stories that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Argus turned more bullish: The firm raised its price target from $155 to $165 and reiterated a “buy” rating, implying potential upside from the quoted share price. Argus rating details
• Neutral Sentiment: PFAS settlement credits: Tennessee American Water said customers received additional credits from manufacturer settlement proceeds, bringing total credits to more than $84 per customer. The release does not indicate a new company charge. Tennessee PFAS settlement credits
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concern: A Yahoo Finance article argued AWK could be about 31% overvalued despite merger approval, which could weigh on investor sentiment if the market agrees with its valuation assessment. AWK valuation article

About American Water Works

American Water Works Company, Inc. is a U.S. water and wastewater utility that provides services to residential, commercial, industrial, and public-sector customers. Its operations include treating and distributing drinking water, collecting and treating wastewater, and maintaining the infrastructure needed to deliver those services. The company operates regulated water and wastewater utilities across multiple states, serving communities in regions including the Northeast, Midwest, and South. Through contracted operations, it also provides water and wastewater services to certain military installations and municipal customers.