Inspire Investing LLC Purchases 26,181 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• Inspire Investing increased its American Water Works stake by 192.1% in the third quarter, acquiring 26,181 shares and bringing its total holdings to 39,808 shares valued at approximately $5.15 million.
• American Water Works reported quarterly adjusted earnings of $1.61 per share, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.53, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $1.35 billion.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.895 per share, equivalent to an annualized $3.58 dividend and a 2.5% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $136.75.

Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 192.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,808 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 26,181 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC's holdings in American Water Works were worth $5,154,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 93.7% in the third quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 39,285 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,619,000 after buying an additional 19,002 shares in the last quarter. MBL Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $227,000. Demars Financial Group LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 9,057 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,173,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Benin Management CORP purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $349,000. Finally, Howland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in American Water Works by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 191,444 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $24,786,000 after acquiring an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of AWK opened at $142.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $28.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.58. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $120.57 and a 12-month high of $144.14. The company's 50-day moving average price is $135.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.35% and a return on equity of 10.20%. American Water Works's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a $0.8950 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. American Water Works's payout ratio is presently 62.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho lifted their price objective 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. Barclays dropped their target price on American Water Works from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Truist Financial set a $139.00 target price on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded American Water Works from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $136.75.

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc is a public water and wastewater utility that provides essential services to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers. Through its regulated businesses, the company supplies drinking water, collects and treats wastewater, and manages related infrastructure, including treatment plants, pipelines, storage facilities and customer service systems.

Founded in 1886, American Water has grown into one of the largest water and wastewater service providers in the United States.

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