46,280 American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Shares Purchased by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

Key Points

• First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its American Water Works stake by 2,222.9% in the third quarter, purchasing 46,280 additional shares for a total holding worth approximately $6.26 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 86.58% of AWK.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating, with an average price target of $140.11; targets range from $130 to $162.
• American Water Works exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $1.61 EPS and $1.35 billion in revenue. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.895, equivalent to a 2.7% annual yield.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 2,222.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,362 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 46,280 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in American Water Works were worth $6,261,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter worth $2,712,173,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 35.2% in 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 acquiring an additional 3,883,057 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,171,477,000. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 4,351,056 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $592,081,000 after acquiring an additional 179,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at $443,787,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AWK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Water Works from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Barclays increased their target price on American Water Works from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group lifted their price target on American Water Works from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.11.

American Water Works Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $131.71 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.52. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $120.57 and a 52-week high of $145.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $134.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $131.95. The stock has a market cap of $26.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.58.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.08. The firm 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were issued a $0.8950 dividend. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.05%.

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc is a public water and wastewater utility that provides essential services to residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in the United States. Through its regulated operations, the company collects, treats, distributes, and manages drinking water, as well as collects and treats wastewater.

The company also provides services through businesses that support utilities, municipalities, military installations, and other public-sector customers.

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