JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Stock

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) had its price objective upped by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $138.00 to $147.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price points to a potential upside of 9.28% from the company’s current price.

AWK has been the topic of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, April 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. UBS Group upped their price target on American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.00.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:AWK traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $134.52. The company had a trading volume of 178,716 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,962,221. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $127.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $130.60. The firm has a market cap of $26.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.61. American Water Works has a 1-year low of $120.57 and a 1-year high of $147.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.37.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.09). American Water Works had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.05 earnings per share. American Water Works’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Research analysts predict that American Water Works will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Water Works

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works by 82.6% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in American Water Works in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About American Water Works

American Water Works Company, Inc (NYSE: AWK) is a publicly traded utility company that provides water and wastewater services in the United States. Its core business is the operation, management and maintenance of regulated water and wastewater systems that deliver potable water, collect and treat wastewater, and provide related customer services to residential, commercial and industrial customers as well as municipalities. The company’s operations include water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, meter reading and billing, emergency repairs, and long-term infrastructure planning and capital project execution.

In addition to its regulated utility operations, American Water offers complementary nonregulated services and solutions that support system reliability and customer needs.