3,372,753 Shares in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Acquired by Legal & General Group Plc

Key Points

• Legal & General Group acquired 3.37 million shares of American Water Works, valued at approximately $443.8 million, giving it a 1.70% stake. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 86.58% of AWK.
• American Water Works exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.61 in EPS and $1.35 billion in revenue, with revenue up 6.2% year over year. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $6.09.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.895 per share, equivalent to a 2.6% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating, with an average price target of $138.78.

Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,372,753 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $443,787,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 1.70% of American Water Works at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Stock Performance

NYSE:AWK opened at $137.58 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $27.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock's 50-day moving average is $133.40 and its 200-day moving average is $131.73. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $120.57 and a 1-year high of $145.64.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.08. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.35% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.48 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 2.6%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on AWK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Truist Financial set a $139.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.

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