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American Water Works (AWK) Stock Forecast & Price Target

American Water Works logo
$134.00 +0.18 (+0.14%)
As of 03:21 PM Eastern
This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.

American Water Works - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
1
Hold
8
Buy
1

Based on 10 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for American Water Works in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold." Out of the 10 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 8 have given a hold rating, and 1 has given a buy rating for AWK.

Consensus Price Target

$140.11
4.56% Upside
According to the 10 analysts' twelve-month price targets for American Water Works, the average price target is $140.11. The highest price target for AWK is $162.00, while the lowest price target for AWK is $124.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 4.56% from the current price of $134.00.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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AWK Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/23/25 to 9/23/26
1 Month Ago
8/24/25 to 8/24/26
3 Months Ago
6/25/25 to 6/25/26
1 Year Ago
9/23/24 to 9/23/25
Strong Buy
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
1 Buy rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
Hold
8 Hold rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
Sell
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
2 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$140.11$138.78$138.11$141.13
Forecasted Upside4.56% Upside-0.80% Downside6.32% Upside3.00% Upside
Consensus RatingHoldHoldHoldReduce

AWK Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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AWK Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

American Water Works Stock vs. The Competition

TypeAmerican Water WorksUtilities CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.00
2.37
2.53
Consensus RatingHoldHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside4.63% Upside66.64% Upside17.93% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Neutral News

See Recent AWK News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/21/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
5 of 5 stars
 Reiterated RatingHold (C)
9/10/2026
UBS Group AG logo
UBS Group
4 of 5 stars
Gregg Orrill
Not Rated
Boost TargetBuy$156.00 ➝ $162.00+15.28%
8/4/2026
Truist Financial Corporation logo
Truist Financial
3 of 5 stars
Set Target$139.00+6.65%
7/31/2026Boost TargetNeutral$130.00 ➝ $140.00+2.96%
7/16/2026Reiterated RatingNeutral
7/15/2026Boost TargetUnderweight$124.00 ➝ $130.00-1.20%
7/8/2026Boost TargetNeutral$138.00 ➝ $147.00+9.21%
4/21/2026 Set Target$131.00-1.86%
11/5/2025UpgradeUnderperformHold$114.00 ➝ $124.00-3.12%
10/16/2025 Initiated CoverageHold$155.00+8.81%
8/14/2025Boost TargetBuy$155.00 ➝ $160.00+11.37%
5/2/2025Boost TargetIn-Line$139.00 ➝ $148.00+1.37%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Wednesday at 03:21 PM ET.


Should I Buy American Water Works Stock? AWK Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Sunday, September 20, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these American Water Works pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

American Water Works
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in American Water Works Company, Inc.:

  • The company recently beat earnings expectations, reporting $1.61 in earnings per share for the quarter ended July 29, 2026, which exceeded the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.08, demonstrating strong operational performance and profitability with a net margin of 21.35%.
  • American Water Works Company, Inc. offers a stable income stream with a dividend yield of 2.63%, having recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.895 per share, which is attractive for income-focused investors seeking consistent cash flow.
  • The stock exhibits low volatility with a beta of 0.59, meaning it tends to be less sensitive to market fluctuations than the broader market, providing a defensive characteristic that can help preserve capital during periods of economic uncertainty.
  • Institutional interest remains strong, with 86.58% of the stock owned by institutional investors, and recent filings show significant new positions or increases by major firms like BlackRock Inc. and Wellington Management Group LLP, indicating confidence in the company's long-term outlook.
  • The company is expanding its digital capabilities and customer experience by selecting VertexOne's VXconnect platform to power a modern, mobile-first digital customer experience, which may improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction across its national scale.

American Water Works
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in American Water Works Company, Inc. for these reasons:

  • The current stock price of $136.12 is below the consensus price target of $140.11, and the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" from analysts, suggesting limited near-term upside potential compared to other investment opportunities.
  • The company carries a significant debt load with a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, which may limit its financial flexibility and increase interest expense, potentially impacting future earnings growth and dividend sustainability.
  • Some institutional investors have recently reduced their positions, such as Tidal Investments LLC trimming its stake by 63.8% and Corient Private Wealth LP lowering its holdings by 31.6% in the second quarter, indicating a shift in sentiment among certain large holders.
  • The stock is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.59, which is relatively high for a utility company, suggesting that the market may be pricing in higher growth expectations that could be difficult to sustain given the regulated nature of the business.
  • The company's liquidity position is somewhat constrained, with a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49, indicating that it may face challenges in meeting short-term obligations without accessing additional financing or selling assets.

AWK Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 10 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for American Water Works is $140.11, with a high forecast of $162.00 and a low forecast of $124.00.

10 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for American Water Works in the last twelve months. There is currently 1 sell rating, 8 hold ratings and 1 buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" AWK shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in AWK, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

According to analysts, American Water Works's stock has a predicted upside of 4.56% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

American Water Works has been rated by research analysts at Bank of America, Barclays, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mizuho, Truist Financial, UBS Group, and Weiss Ratings in the past 90 days.

Analysts like American Water Works less than other "utilities" companies. The consensus rating score for American Water Works is 2.00 while the average consensus rating score for "utilities" companies is 2.37. Learn more on how AWK compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for American Water Works analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/21/2026.
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