Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys 162,848 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. dramatically increased its position in American Water Works, boosting its stake by 1,938.4% in the fourth quarter to 171,249 shares worth about $22.35 million.
• American Water Works reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $1.01 missing estimates but revenue of $1.21 billion topping expectations and rising 5.7% year over year.
• The utility raised its quarterly dividend to $0.895 per share, implying an annualized dividend of $3.58 and a yield of 2.9%; analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average target price of $139.11.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 1,938.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 171,249 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 162,848 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 0.09% of American Water Works worth $22,348,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

American Water Works stock opened at $124.26 on Wednesday. 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 Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $121.28 and a 1-year high of $147.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.64. The company's 50-day moving average is $133.10 and its 200 day moving average is $131.37.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.05 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter 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 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AWK shares. Barclays upped their target price on shares of American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a "hold" rating and a $137.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $149.00 to $137.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Water Works from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $139.11.

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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