Corient IA LLC Makes New Investment in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• Corient IA LLC invested approximately $811,000 in American Water Works Company, acquiring 5,500 shares during the first quarter, highlighting growing interest from hedge funds in the utilities sector.
• American Water Works reported a $1.48 earnings per share for its last quarter, slightly below the consensus estimate of $1.53, while its revenue of $1.28 billion exceeded expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8275, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 2.3%, with the payment scheduled for September 3rd.

Corient IA LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $811,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter worth approximately $48,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AWK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Argus boosted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $143.30.

Insider Activity at American Water Works

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of American Water Works stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total value of $404,766.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,916.16. The trade was a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

NYSE AWK traded up $0.8720 on Friday, hitting $146.7420. 418,830 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,422,130. 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 1-year low of $118.74 and a 1-year high of $155.50. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $142.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.63 billion, a PE ratio of 26.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.65.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.42 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.64%.

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.