American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Position Increased by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 14.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 633,703 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 80,637 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $86,241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 3,274.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,092,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $925,605,000 after acquiring an additional 6,882,575 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $337,004,000. GQG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 64.2% during the fourth 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 last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 383.0% in 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 valued at $361,355,000 after purchasing an additional 2,058,656 shares during the period. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 38.0% in the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,386,873 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $311,487,000 after purchasing an additional 657,849 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $135.08 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.38 billion, a PE ratio of 23.95, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.37. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $127.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.64. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $120.57 and a 52 week high of $147.87.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its 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 return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.17%.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 previous year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. The firm’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 expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.895 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 12th. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 63.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Barclays raised their price objective 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. UBS Group lifted their price objective 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. 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 issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.60.

American Water Works 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.