Osterweis Capital Management Inc. Purchases 90,140 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in American Water Works Company by 44.4%, acquiring 90,140 additional shares during the first quarter, bringing its total to 293,206 shares valued at approximately $43.25 million.
• American Water Works reported $1.48 EPS for the latest quarter, which missed analysts' expectations, but its revenue rose to $1.28 billion, surpassing estimates.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, translating to an annual yield of 2.3%, with the payout ratio standing at 59.64%.

Osterweis Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 44.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 293,206 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 90,140 shares during the quarter. American Water Works comprises 0.0% of Osterweis Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. owned 0.15% of American Water Works worth $43,254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. PFG Advisors grew its stake in American Water Works by 33.4% in the first quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 9,699 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,431,000 after acquiring an additional 2,429 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 2.1% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 124,352 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $18,344,000 after acquiring an additional 2,570 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in American Water Works by 2.2% in the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 10,547 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,556,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 45.2% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in American Water Works by 21.5% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 7,692 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,135,000 after acquiring an additional 1,359 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded up $0.0880 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $145.9580. 963,948 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,632,087. The stock has a market cap of $28.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.65. 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 12-month low of $118.74 and a 12-month high of $155.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $142.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $141.12.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.42 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be given a $0.8275 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. American Water Works's payout ratio is currently 59.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Water Works news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total value of $404,766.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. The trade was a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on AWK shares. Argus raised their price objective on American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Mizuho raised their price objective on American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen cut American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $143.30.

American Water Works Company 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.