NFJ Investment Group LLC Boosts Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• NFJ Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 17.6% during Q1, now owning 353,298 shares worth approximately $52.1 million.
• American Water Works reported $1.48 EPS for the last quarter, missing estimates of $1.53, while revenue was up 11.1% year-over-year at $1.28 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.8275, representing an annual yield of 2.3% and a payout ratio of 59.64%.

NFJ Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 17.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 353,298 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 52,900 shares during the period. American Water Works comprises about 1.8% of NFJ Investment Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. NFJ Investment Group LLC owned about 0.18% of American Water Works worth $52,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of AWK. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works in the first quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC raised its position in American Water Works by 78.3% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 410 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Mizuho upped their price target on American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group cut their price objective on American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $143.30.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of American Water Works stock traded up $0.05 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $140.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 725,484 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,402,717. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $142.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $118.74 and a one year high of $155.50.

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

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th were given a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 12th. American Water Works's payout ratio is 59.64%.

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.