ABN AMRO Bank N.V. Purchases 10,647 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• ABN AMRO Bank N.V. increased its stake in American Water Works by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 10,647 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 149,343 shares worth about $19.4 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains cautious, with American Water Works carrying an average Hold rating and a consensus price target of $139.11. Recent analyst actions were mixed, including target price changes and a few rating adjustments.
• The company raised its dividend to $0.895 per share quarterly, or $3.58 annualized, for a yield of about 2.9%. However, its latest earnings missed EPS expectations even as revenue came in above forecasts.

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. lifted its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 149,343 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,647 shares during the quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. owned about 0.08% of American Water Works worth $19,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AWK. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 383.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,596,125 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $361,355,000 after purchasing an additional 2,058,656 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 38.0% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,386,873 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $311,487,000 after purchasing an additional 657,849 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 2.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,227,049 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,650,543,000 after purchasing an additional 597,916 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 81.8% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,043,899 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $145,217,000 after purchasing an additional 469,641 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,769,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on AWK. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Barclays boosted their target price on American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Bank of America raised American Water Works from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $117.00 to $139.00 in a report on Monday, January 12th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $137.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on American Water Works from $149.00 to $137.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $139.11.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.0%

American Water Works stock opened at $125.03 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $24.42 billion, a PE ratio of 22.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.37. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $121.28 and a one year high of $147.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $134.69 and a 200 day moving average of $132.18.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.17 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The firm's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.895 per share. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.69%.

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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