American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Shares Newly Bought by William Blair Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management initiated a position in American Water Works, buying 495,873 shares worth about $64.2 million, or roughly 0.25% of the company.
• Analyst opinion is mostly neutral: the consensus rating is Hold, with an average price target of $144.12. AWK recently traded at $149.55.
• American Water Works missed quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting EPS of $2.00 and revenue of $1.51 billion, though revenue rose 4.1% year over year. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.895 per share, equivalent to a 2.4% annualized yield.

William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 495,873 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $64,201,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.25% of American Water Works as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,712,173,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 35.2% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,911,963 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,962,116,000 after purchasing 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 second quarter valued at approximately $1,171,477,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 4.3% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 4,351,056 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $592,081,000 after purchasing an additional 179,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $443,787,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays cut their target price on American Water Works from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Huntington lowered American Water Works from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. Truist Financial set a $139.00 price target on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded American Water Works from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Mizuho set a $149.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $144.12.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.3%

AWK stock traded up $1.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $149.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,261,144 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,103,428. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $29.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.56. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $120.57 and a one year high of $153.69. The company's 50 day moving average is $137.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.33.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The utilities provider reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.04 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.58 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.14% and a net margin of 21.26%. American Water Works's quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 12th will be given a $0.8950 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 12th. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. American Water Works's payout ratio is currently 62.05%.

Recent American Water Works Headlines

Here are a few of the latest headlines about AWK:

• Positive Sentiment: Argus issued a positive forecast for AWK’s share price, providing a favorable analyst signal. Argus Issues Positive Forecast for American Water Works Stock Price
• Positive Sentiment: Stone County voters approved the sale of a public water system to Missouri American Water. The approval could support customer-base growth, though the announcement provides no transaction value or expected earnings contribution. Stone County Approves Water-System Sale to Missouri American Water
• Neutral Sentiment: West Virginia American Water announced $580,000 of infrastructure upgrades in Oak Hill. The project reflects ongoing investment in the utility’s system, but its modest scale is unlikely to materially affect company-wide results. West Virginia American Water Announces Oak Hill Upgrades

American Water Works Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc. is a U.S. water and wastewater utility that provides services to residential, commercial, industrial, and public-sector customers. Its operations include treating and distributing drinking water, collecting and treating wastewater, and maintaining the infrastructure needed to deliver those services. The company operates regulated water and wastewater utilities across multiple states, serving communities in regions including the Northeast, Midwest, and South. Through contracted operations, it also provides water and wastewater services to certain military installations and municipal customers.

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