American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Stock Holdings Trimmed by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. has reduced its stake in American Water Works by 9%, now holding approximately 183,291 shares valued at about $27 million.
• American Water Works will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share on September 3rd, representing an annualized yield of 2.3% with a payout ratio of 59.64%.
• The company's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $1.48, missing analysts' expectations, despite revenues of $1.28 billion reflecting an 11.1% increase year-over-year.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 9.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 183,291 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 18,024 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.09% of American Water Works worth $27,024,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. PFG Advisors lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 33.4% during the 1st quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 9,699 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,431,000 after purchasing an additional 2,429 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 124,352 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $18,344,000 after purchasing an additional 2,570 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. raised 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 worth $1,556,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised 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 worth $342,000 after buying an additional 724 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised 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 worth $1,135,000 after buying an additional 1,359 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:AWK traded up $0.1320 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $145.7520. The company had a trading volume of 849,069 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,649,034. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.97. 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 1 year low of $118.74 and a 1 year high of $155.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.65.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The firm's revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.42 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AWK shares. Argus increased their target price on American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Mizuho increased their target price 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. Evercore ISI increased their target price on American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective 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. Two 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $143.30.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works

In other news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total transaction of $404,766.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.