UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Decreases Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management significantly reduced its stake in American Water Works Company by 75.9%, holding approximately 571,669 shares worth $84.33 million after selling over 1.8 million shares in the first quarter.
• American Water Works reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.48 for the last quarter, slightly missing analysts' expectations, but its revenue increased by 11.1% year-over-year, totaling $1.28 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.8275 per share, translating to an annual dividend of $3.31 and a 2.4% yield.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lessened its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 75.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 571,669 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 1,803,077 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned 0.29% of American Water Works worth $84,333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AWK. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,679 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Sargent Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 2,795 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,607 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 6,157 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $908,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AWK. Barclays cut their price objective on American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. Argus boosted 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 boosted 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. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $143.30.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK stock traded down $0.65 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $135.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,197,379 shares, compared to its average volume of 982,372. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.74 and a 12 month high of $155.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a 50 day moving average of $142.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.63.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.42 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. On average, analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 12th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio is 59.64%.

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.