Analysts Set American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Price Target at $143.00

Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $143.00.

AWK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Argus raised their price objective on American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of American Water Works from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their target price for the company from $114.00 to $124.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $142.00 price target for the company. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Water Works

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Faithward Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 5.4% in the third quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 1,602 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in American Water Works by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 15,692 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,184,000 after purchasing an additional 2,105 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its position in American Water Works by 56.6% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,850 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,232,000 after purchasing an additional 3,198 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $9,278,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 24,766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,447,000 after buying an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK stock opened at $128.08 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $135.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.93. The stock has a market cap of $24.99 billion, a PE ratio of 22.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.72. American Water Works has a one year low of $118.74 and a one year high of $155.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.04. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.93% and a return on equity of 10.57%. The company had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.80 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, analysts predict that American Water Works will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 13th will be given a $0.8275 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 13th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is presently 58.17%.

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.5 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems.