Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd Grows Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd boosted its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 212.4% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 80,311 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 54,607 shares during the quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $10,930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC raised its stake in American Water Works by 120.2% during the 1st quarter. Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC now owns 157,829 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $21,479,000 after acquiring an additional 86,158 shares in the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 0.3% during the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 101,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,854,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter valued at about $204,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 59.0% in the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 12,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,669,000 after purchasing an additional 4,551 shares during the period. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 150.5% in the 1st quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 13,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,890,000 after purchasing an additional 8,343 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays increased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.60.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $134.80 on Friday. 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 Company, Inc. has a one year low of $120.57 and a one year high of $147.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.90, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s fifty day moving average is $128.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.75.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.05 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. Analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th were issued a $0.895 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

American Water Works Company Profile

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.