MBB Public Markets I LLC Makes New $333,000 Investment in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• MBB Public Markets I LLC has invested $333,000 in American Water Works Company, acquiring 2,255 shares during the first quarter.
• Research firms have varied price targets for American Water Works, with UBS reducing it to $151.00 and Argus increasing it to $160.00, while the consensus rating is "Reduce."
• American Water Works recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 2.3%.

MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,255 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $333,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AWK. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 1.5% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,679 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 2.6% during the first quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 2,795 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 4.8% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,607 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Water Works by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in American Water Works by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 6,157 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $908,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AWK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 1st. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $143.30.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $139.17. 994,551 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 999,133. 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 52-week low of $118.74 and a 52-week high of $155.50. The company's 50-day moving average price is $142.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.63. The company has a market cap of $27.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.69.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.05). American Water Works had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.42 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th were paid a $0.8275 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. American Water Works's payout ratio is presently 59.64%.

American Water Works Profile

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.