OP Asset Management Ltd Invests $2.73 Million in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

OP Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 20,083 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,733,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% in 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 during the period. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 82.6% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Nemes Rush Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America lowered their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $137.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.11.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK stock opened at $132.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $120.57 and a one year high of $147.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.84 billion, a PE ratio of 23.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $126.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $130.46.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.09). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.17%.The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.05 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.895 per share. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.48%.

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.