American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Price Target Raised to $149.00 at Mizuho

Key Points

• Mizuho has increased its price target for American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00, indicating a potential upside of 2.36% from the last closing price.
• American Water Works reported quarterly earnings of $1.48 per share, missing estimates by $0.05, while the company's revenue rose 11.1% year-over-year.
• Overall, American Water Works has garnered mixed ratings, with a consensus of "Hold" and an average target price of $142.00 from analysts.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) had its target price lifted by Mizuho from $148.00 to $149.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. Mizuho currently has a neutral rating on the utilities provider's stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on AWK. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of 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. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $156.00 price objective (up from $154.00) on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $142.00.

American Water Works Stock Down 3.7%

AWK traded down $5.37 on Friday, hitting $141.63. 3,496,893 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,415,859. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $141.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $139.46. The company has a market cap of $27.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.65. American Water Works has a twelve month low of $118.74 and a twelve month high of $155.50. 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 (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 company 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%. American Water Works's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that American Water Works will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current 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 given 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 is Tuesday, August 12th. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Water Works news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of American Water Works stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total transaction of $404,766.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,572 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,916.16. The trade was a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the second quarter worth $28,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the first quarter worth $29,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the first quarter worth $30,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the first quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company's stock.

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.