American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Stock Position Boosted by Copeland Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Copeland Capital Management increased its American Water Works position by 695.8% in the third quarter, owning 13,600 shares valued at approximately $1.76 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 86.58% of AWK shares.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly neutral: AWK has an average “Hold” rating, with one Buy, eight Hold, and one Sell rating, and a consensus price target of $140.11.
• American Water Works exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.61 EPS and $1.35 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.895 per share, yielding about 2.7% annually.

Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 695.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,600 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,891 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC's holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,761,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,199 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $158,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works by 21.1% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 453 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Eastern Bank lifted its stake in American Water Works by 2.9% in the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 2,945 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $381,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Focused Wealth Management Inc lifted its stake in American Water Works by 4.1% in the first quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 2,376 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $323,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in American Water Works by 13.7% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 806 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on AWK. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Water Works from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised American Water Works from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on American Water Works from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Barclays lifted their price target on American Water Works from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $140.11.

American Water Works Stock Performance

NYSE AWK opened at $131.71 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $134.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.58. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $120.57 and a fifty-two week high of $145.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.52.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.08. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.35%. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a dividend of $0.8950 per share. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.05%.

About American Water Works

American Water Works Company, Inc is a public water and wastewater utility that provides essential services to residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in the United States. Through its regulated operations, the company collects, treats, distributes, and manages drinking water, as well as collects and treats wastewater.

The company also provides services through businesses that support utilities, municipalities, military installations, and other public-sector customers.

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