American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Shares Sold by USS Investment Management Ltd

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd has reduced its stake in American Water Works Company by 37.4%, now holding 42,689 shares worth approximately $6.3 million.
• American Water Works reported $1.48 earnings per share for the last quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53, despite a revenue increase of 11.1% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8275, representing a 2.3% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 59.64%.

USS Investment Management Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 37.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,689 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 25,522 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in American Water Works were worth $6,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at $29,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE AWK traded down $0.46 during trading on Friday, reaching $139.17. 994,551 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 999,133. The stock has a market cap of $27.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.35. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $142.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.63. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.74 and a 1 year high of $155.50.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.42 earnings per share. 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 anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 1st. Argus lifted their target price on American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Mizuho lifted their target price on American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Barclays decreased their target price on American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Water Works has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus 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.