Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Has $25.29 Million Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lessened its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 4.0% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 185,826 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 7,656 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $25,289,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in American Water Works by 3,274.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,092,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $925,605,000 after acquiring an additional 6,882,575 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $337,004,000. GQG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 64.2% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 6,493,161 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $847,361,000 after purchasing an additional 2,539,683 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 383.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,596,125 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $361,355,000 after purchasing an additional 2,058,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,386,873 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $311,487,000 after purchasing an additional 657,849 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK stock opened at $131.57 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $127.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.60. The firm has a market cap of $25.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $120.57 and a 12 month high of $147.87.

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

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.895 per share. This is an increase from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on AWK shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Truist Financial cut their price target 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. Barclays increased their price target on American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price objective on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.00.

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.