Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Buys New Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. reported a new fourth-quarter stake in American Water Works, buying 535,278 shares worth about $69.9 million and ending with 0.27% ownership.
• Institutional interest remained strong, with several other funds increasing their positions; overall, institutional investors own 86.58% of the utility’s shares.
• American Water Works recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.895 per share, while its latest earnings missed EPS expectations even as revenue topped forecasts.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 535,278 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $69,855,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. owned 0.27% of American Water Works at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. National Pension Service increased its stake in American Water Works by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 276,909 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,137,000 after acquiring an additional 31,195 shares during the last quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. increased its stake in American Water Works by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 44,906 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,860,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new stake in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,046,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in American Water Works by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 312,969 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $40,842,000 after acquiring an additional 1,357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Water Works by 38.4% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,248 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $293,000 after acquiring an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Barclays lifted their price objective on American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen raised American Water Works from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price objective on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $138.11.

American Water Works Stock Performance

NYSE AWK opened at $123.29 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.37. The business's 50 day moving average price is $130.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $131.08. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $121.28 and a fifty-two week high of $147.87.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.05 EPS. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.895 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 63.48%.

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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