M&T Bank Corp Has $25.01 Million Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in American Water Works by 267.9% in Q4 to 191,622 shares, now worth about $25.01 million (≈0.10% of the company).
• The Kentucky Public Service Commission granted the first formal approval for American Water’s proposed merger with Essential Utilities, advancing the deal timeline and reducing execution risk, though additional state and federal approvals remain required.
• Analysts' consensus is a Hold with a $141.20 target; AWK slightly missed Feb quarter EPS ($1.24 vs. $1.28) and issued FY2026 guidance of $6.020–6.120, keeping some investors cautious on near-term multiple expansion.

M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 267.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 191,622 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 139,537 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp owned 0.10% of American Water Works worth $25,007,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AWK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen cut American Water Works from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Barclays raised their price objective on American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Bank of America raised American Water Works from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $117.00 to $139.00 in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price objective on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $141.20.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $131.02 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $25.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $121.28 and a 1-year high of $150.51. The business's 50 day moving average is $135.02 and its 200-day moving average is $132.98.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.38% and a net margin of 21.61%.American Water Works's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.15 EPS. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current year.

More American Water Works News

Here are the key news stories impacting American Water Works this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kentucky Public Service Commission granted the first formal regulatory approval for American Water’s proposed merger with Essential Utilities, advancing the deal timeline and reducing one source of execution risk. This is the most important near-term positive fundamental development for AWK. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend outlook and long-term yield profile remain attractive to income investors — coverage pieces highlight AWK’s long dividend growth record, supporting buy-and-hold interest. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist initiated coverage with a "hold" rating and a $137 price target — the note establishes a benchmark for investors but does not signal strong conviction to buy; the target implies only modest upside from current levels. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple Earth Day and community/ESG announcements (water conservation tips, grants totaling ~$1.5M) reinforce the company's environmental and community positioning but are routine PR items unlikely to materially change near-term valuation. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory path is still incomplete — the Kentucky PSC sign-off is only the first approval; remaining state and federal reviews could delay or change transaction terms, keeping deal risk elevated. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent operational/earnings context (Feb quarter EPS slightly missed estimates and guidance is conservative) keeps some investors cautious about near-term multiple expansion despite the merger news. (See company recent results and guidance in filings/earnings release.)

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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