Country Trust Bank Acquires 11,401 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• Country Trust Bank boosted its stake in American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) by 6.8% in Q4, acquiring 11,401 shares to hold 178,599 shares worth about $23.31 million (≈0.09% of the company).
• American Water Works missed quarterly estimates with $1.24 EPS vs. $1.28 expected and revenue of $1.27B vs. $1.29B, though revenue was up 5.8% YoY and the company set FY2026 guidance of $6.02–$6.12 EPS.
• Institutional ownership is high at about 86.6%, analysts' consensus rating is "Hold" with an average price target of $140.89, and the 12‑month stock range is $121.28–$150.51.

Country Trust Bank boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 178,599 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 11,401 shares during the period. Country Trust Bank owned approximately 0.09% of American Water Works worth $23,307,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Price Performance

American Water Works stock opened at $137.95 on Tuesday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $121.28 and a 12 month high of $150.51. The stock's 50 day moving average is $133.22 and its 200-day moving average is $133.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company has a market capitalization of $26.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.24, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.74.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.61% and a return on equity of 10.38%. American Water Works's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.15 EPS. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America upgraded American Water Works from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $117.00 to $139.00 in a report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays dropped their target price on American Water Works from $134.00 to $122.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on American Water Works from $142.00 to $126.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, UBS Group set a $149.00 target price on American Water Works in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $140.89.

American Water Works Profile

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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