American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Shares Sold by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

Key Points

• The State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D reduced its holdings in American Water Works by 3.5%, owning a total of 63,995 shares valued at approximately $9.44 million after selling shares during the first quarter.
• Various hedge funds have adjusted their positions in American Water Works, with institutional investors owning 86.58% of the stock, indicating strong interest from larger financial entities.
• American Water Works has faced mixed analyst ratings, with target prices being adjusted down but also a quarterly dividend announced at $0.8275 per share, reflecting a yield of 2.3%.

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D reduced its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 3.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63,995 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,354 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D's holdings in American Water Works were worth $9,441,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,248,263 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,724,624,000 after buying an additional 141,038 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,532,131 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $668,566,000 after buying an additional 878,951 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,357,726 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $418,003,000 after buying an additional 335,683 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in American Water Works by 38.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,695,734 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $335,592,000 after purchasing an additional 747,316 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in American Water Works by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,109,409 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $262,601,000 after purchasing an additional 17,673 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:AWK traded up $0.0880 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $145.9580. The stock had a trading volume of 963,948 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,632,087. The company has a market capitalization of $28.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.65. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.74 and a 1-year high of $155.50. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $142.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $141.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 21.91%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.42 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of American Water Works stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total value of $404,766.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,916.16. This trade represents 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. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on AWK shares. UBS Group cut their price objective 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 lowered American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on American Water Works from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. 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 report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective 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 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, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $143.30.

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.