Janus Henderson Group PLC Decreases Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• Janus Henderson Group cut its American Water Works stake by 87.6% in the first quarter, selling 158,138 shares and retaining 22,423 shares valued at approximately $3.05 million. Institutional investors still own 86.58% of AWK.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $140.90; ratings include two Buys, eight Holds, and one Sell.
• American Water Works exceeded quarterly expectations with EPS of $1.61 versus $1.53 estimated and revenue of $1.35 billion, up 6.2% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.895, equivalent to a 2.6% annualized yield.

Janus Henderson Group PLC trimmed its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 87.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,423 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 158,138 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC's holdings in American Water Works were worth $3,050,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,912 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $872,000 after buying an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 16,466 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,429,000 after acquiring an additional 4,762 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the second quarter worth $302,000. Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works by 1.5% in the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 5,865 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $816,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 184.4% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 5,492 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $764,000 after acquiring an additional 3,561 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.90.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK stock opened at $135.29 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $120.57 and a 12 month high of $147.87. The stock has a market cap of $26.89 billion, a PE ratio of 23.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company's fifty day moving average price is $130.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $131.10.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.48 EPS. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a $0.895 dividend. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is 62.05%.

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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