Dearborn Partners LLC Buys Shares of 126,235 American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Dearborn Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 126,235 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $17,179,000. Dearborn Partners LLC owned about 0.06% of American Water Works as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 6.6% during 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 last quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $816,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 82.6% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focused Wealth Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 2,376 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $323,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $139.90 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $120.57 and a 1-year high of $146.29. The stock has a market cap of $27.80 billion, a PE ratio of 24.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $133.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $131.64.

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

American Water Works Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Barclays raised their price target on American Water Works from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. 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. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.