American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. trimmed its stake in American Water Works by 2.3% in the first quarter, selling 9,097 shares and ending with 385,613 shares valued at about $52.5 million.
• American Water Works reported mixed quarterly results: EPS of $1.01 missed estimates, but revenue of $1.21 billion beat expectations and rose 5.7% year over year. The company also set FY 2026 guidance at $6.02–$6.12 EPS.
• The company raised its dividend to $0.895 per quarter, or $3.58 annualized, for a yield of about 2.7%. Meanwhile, analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $140.00.

Candriam S.C.A. decreased its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 385,613 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 9,097 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned about 0.20% of American Water Works worth $52,478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 3,274.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,092,757 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $925,605,000 after acquiring an additional 6,882,575 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth about $337,004,000. GQG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 64.2% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 6,493,161 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $847,361,000 after purchasing an additional 2,539,683 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 383.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its stake in American Water Works by 38.0% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.2%

AWK stock opened at $130.78 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $25.54 billion, a PE ratio of 23.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.61. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $126.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $130.59. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $120.57 and a fifty-two week high of $147.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.09). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.17%.The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. American Water Works's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. 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 6.08 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a $0.895 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. American Water Works's payout ratio is 63.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial cut their target price on American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $140.00.

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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