American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Hits New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• American Water Works reached a new 52-week high of $146.62, up 1.6% from its previous close, with a market capitalization of approximately $28.7 billion.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $137.88, below its recent trading price.
• The company reported quarterly revenue of $1.51 billion and EPS of $2.00, both below analyst expectations, while declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.895 per share, equivalent to a 2.5% annual yield.

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Friday. The company traded as high as $146.62 and last traded at $145.0980, with a volume of 196,577 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $142.21.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group cut their price target on American Water Works from $162.00 to $153.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 16th. Mizuho set a $149.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded American Water Works from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $137.88.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.6%

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $135.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.70 billion, a PE ratio of 25.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The utilities provider reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.04 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.58 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.26% and a return on equity of 10.31%. American Water Works's quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.08 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 12th will be paid a $0.8950 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 12th. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.05%.

Institutional Trading of American Water Works

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in American Water Works by 1.7% in the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 24,446 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,165,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 99.0% in the third quarter. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super now owns 40,987 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,307,000 after buying an additional 20,390 shares in the last quarter. MBA Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth $269,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in American Water Works in the third quarter valued at about $6,948,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $728,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc is a public water and wastewater utility that provides essential services to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers. Through its regulated businesses, the company supplies drinking water, collects and treats wastewater, and manages related infrastructure, including treatment plants, pipelines, storage facilities and customer service systems.

Founded in 1886, American Water has grown into one of the largest water and wastewater service providers in the United States.

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