American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Shares Acquired by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 570,290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,382 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.29% of American Water Works worth $74,423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at about $98,000. Intrua Financial LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 3,436 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 2,254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at about $872,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at about $181,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $122.40 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $23.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.37. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $121.28 and a one year high of $147.87. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $132.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.34.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced 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 company had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.05 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a $0.895 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on AWK. Truist Financial assumed coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a “hold” rating and a $137.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $149.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $139.11.

American Water Works Company 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.