33,775 Shares in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Purchased by SFE Investment Counsel

SFE Investment Counsel bought a new position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 33,775 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,444,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 5.4% during the third quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 1,602 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 1.5% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 5,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $816,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in American Water Works by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 5,121 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $668,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $136.25 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $27.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.60. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $120.57 and a twelve month high of $147.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a 50 day moving average of $131.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.25.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.35% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.895 per share. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 62.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on AWK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Mizuho raised their price objective on American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Truist Financial set a $139.00 target price on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $138.78.

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.