American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell Rating

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded American Water Works from “strong sell” to “sell,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold” with an average price target of $140.10.
• American Water Works reported quarterly EPS of $1.61, exceeding the $1.53 estimate, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $1.35 billion.
• The stock opened at $134.47, with a market capitalization of $26.72 billion; institutional investors own approximately 86.58% of outstanding shares.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a report released on Monday.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on AWK. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho upped their price objective on American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $140.10.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE:AWK opened at $134.47 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $26.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.60. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $129.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $131.04. American Water Works has a one year low of $120.57 and a one year high of $147.87. 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 (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.35% and a return on equity of 10.20%. American Water Works's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Equities analysts expect that American Water Works will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of American Water Works

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 82.6% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Nemes Rush Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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