43,572 Shares in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Acquired by Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 43,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,733,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter worth about $29,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $139.90 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.52. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $120.57 and a 52 week high of $146.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.25, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.60. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $133.22 and its 200 day moving average is $131.64.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.35%.American Water Works’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.895 per share. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is 62.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AWK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of American Water Works from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.78.

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.