Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec Trims Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• The Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec has significantly reduced its holdings in American Water Works Company, lowering its position by 76.0% in the first quarter, now owning 27,983 shares valued at approximately $4.13 million.
• American Water Works reported quarterly earnings of $1.48 per share, missing analyst expectations, although revenue increased by 11.1% year-over-year, reaching $1.28 billion.
• Analyst ratings for American Water Works vary, with two analysts giving a Buy rating, six giving a Hold rating, and three providing a Sell rating, leading to an average target price of $143.30.

Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec lessened its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 76.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 27,983 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 88,738 shares during the quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec's holdings in American Water Works were worth $4,128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. PFG Advisors lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 33.4% in the 1st quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 9,699 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,431,000 after purchasing an additional 2,429 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 124,352 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $18,344,000 after acquiring an additional 2,570 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.2% during the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 10,547 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,556,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 45.2% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 21.5% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 7,692 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,135,000 after acquiring an additional 1,359 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.0%

American Water Works stock traded up $0.05 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $140.07. The stock had a trading volume of 724,641 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,402,714. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.74 and a 52-week high of $155.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $142.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $27.33 billion, a PE ratio of 25.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.69.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 21.91%.American Water Works's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period 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, analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on AWK. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a 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 on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen cut American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Argus boosted 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $143.30.

About American Water Works

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.