Rafferty Asset Management LLC Decreases Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• Rafferty Asset Management LLC has reduced its holdings in American Water Works by 19.8%, now owning 17,539 shares valued at approximately $2.59 million.
• Price T Rowe Associates Inc. significantly increased its stake in American Water Works by 881.1%, bringing its total to 3.7 million shares valued at $546.56 million.
• American Water Works reported a quarterly earnings miss with an EPS of $1.48, below the expected $1.53, despite an 11.1% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Rafferty Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 19.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,539 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,343 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in American Water Works were worth $2,587,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. PFG Advisors increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 33.4% in the 1st 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 increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.1% in the 1st 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. increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.2% in the 1st 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 increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 45.2% in the 1st 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. increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 21.5% in the 1st 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho increased their price target on American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group cut their price target 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $143.30.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK stock traded up $0.86 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $141.56. 1,128,400 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,143,336. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $142.49 and a 200 day moving average of $142.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.74 and a 52-week high of $155.50. The company has a market cap of $27.62 billion, a PE ratio of 25.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.69.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 21.91%.The firm 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 company earned $1.42 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 12th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.64%.

About American Water Works

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.