43,453 American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Shares Bought by Middleton & Co. Inc. MA

Key Points

• Middleton & Co. Inc. MA increased its American Water Works stake by 86.9% in the third quarter, purchasing 43,453 shares and bringing its holdings to 93,443 shares valued at approximately $12.1 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 86.58%, with major investors including BlackRock, GQG Partners, Wellington Management, Legal & General, and Bank of America recently acquiring or expanding positions.
• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $136.75, while American Water Works reported quarterly EPS and revenue above estimates and maintains a $0.895 quarterly dividend, yielding about 2.5%.

Middleton & Co. Inc. MA boosted its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 86.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 93,443 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 43,453 shares during the period. American Water Works makes up about 1.3% of Middleton & Co. Inc. MA's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA's holdings in American Water Works were worth $12,098,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AWK. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter worth $2,712,173,000. GQG Partners LLC bought a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter worth $1,171,477,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in American Water Works by 35.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,911,963 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,962,116,000 after purchasing an additional 3,883,057 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at $443,787,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at $367,632,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial set a $139.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Bank of America restated a "neutral" rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Water Works from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $136.75.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $142.83 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $120.57 and a 1-year high of $144.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.38 billion, a PE ratio of 24.75, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.58. The business's 50 day moving average is $135.13 and its 200-day moving average is $131.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.35%. American Water Works's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.48 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were issued a $0.8950 dividend. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works's payout ratio is 62.05%.

About American Water Works

American Water Works Company, Inc is a public water and wastewater utility that provides essential services to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers. Through its regulated businesses, the company supplies drinking water, collects and treats wastewater, and manages related infrastructure, including treatment plants, pipelines, storage facilities and customer service systems.

Founded in 1886, American Water has grown into one of the largest water and wastewater service providers in the United States.

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