Aberdeen Group plc Purchases 11,654 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in American Water Works by 2.7% by purchasing an additional 11,654 shares, bringing its total ownership to 440,958 shares valued at approximately $60.67 million.
• American Water Works reported earnings per share of $1.48 for its latest quarter, falling short of the consensus estimate of $1.53, however, its quarterly revenue increased by 11.1% year-over-year.
• The company announced a dividend of $0.8275 per share in September, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 2.3% with a payout ratio of 59.64%.

Aberdeen Group plc raised its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 2.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 440,958 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,654 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.23% of American Water Works worth $60,671,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 157.3% in the second quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 283 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $142.78 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $140.87 and a 200 day moving average of $142.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.74 and a 12-month high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.42 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. American Water Works's payout ratio is currently 59.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on AWK shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Argus lifted their price target on shares of American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $143.57.

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.5 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems.

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