Norges Bank Makes New $337 Million Investment in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Norges Bank purchased a new position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,582,403 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $337,004,000. Norges Bank owned 1.32% of American Water Works at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AWK. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in American Water Works by 383.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,596,125 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $361,355,000 after purchasing an additional 2,058,656 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 38.0% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,386,873 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $311,487,000 after buying an additional 657,849 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 2.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,227,049 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,650,543,000 after buying an additional 597,916 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $69,855,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 81.8% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,043,899 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $145,217,000 after buying an additional 469,641 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Water completed a $315 million acquisition of Nexus Water Group systems in eight states, expanding its regulated footprint and adding long-term rate-base growth potential. American Water Completes Purchase of Nexus Water Group Systems in Eight States
• Positive Sentiment: Several subsidiary acquisitions were completed on June 1, including systems in New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois, which should support customer and regulated asset growth. New Jersey American Water Completes Purchase of Montague Sewer & Water Company's Utility Systems
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch noted that AWK underperformed peers during Monday trading, suggesting investors are not fully rewarding the acquisition news yet. American Water Works Co. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s weakness may also reflect investor caution around the size of the acquisition and its near-term capital spending needs, even though the assets are regulated.

American Water Works Trading Down 1.8%

NYSE AWK opened at $120.99 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $120.61 and a twelve month high of $147.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.63 billion, a PE ratio of 21.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.62. The stock's 50 day moving average is $130.64 and its 200 day moving average is $131.04.

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

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be paid a $0.895 dividend. This is an increase from American Water Works's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AWK. Wall Street Zen raised American Water Works from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Bank of America reduced their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, UBS Group raised American Water Works from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $137.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $138.11.

American Water Works Company 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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