National Pension Service Buys 31,195 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its stake in American Water Works by 12.7% in Q4, buying 31,195 additional shares and bringing its total to 276,909 shares worth about $36.1 million.
• Wall Street remains cautious on AWK, with analysts giving it a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $138.11, despite some recent target-price adjustments.
• The company reported mixed quarterly results and raised its dividend: EPS of $1.01 missed estimates, revenue of $1.21 billion topped forecasts, and the quarterly payout was increased to $0.895 per share, implying a 2.9% yield.

National Pension Service grew its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 276,909 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 31,195 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.14% of American Water Works worth $36,137,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 803.1% in the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 289 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AWK. Barclays upped their target price on shares of American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Water Works from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $138.11.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $123.29 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $24.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.62. The firm's 50-day moving average is $130.96 and its 200 day moving average is $131.10. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $121.28 and a 1 year high of $147.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.34.

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

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be paid a $0.895 dividend. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This is a positive change from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

American Water Works Profile

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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