American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Stock Acquired by Provident Investment Management Inc.

Provident Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 3,119.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 145,066 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 140,560 shares during the period. American Water Works accounts for 1.9% of Provident Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Provident Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $18,782,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 73.1% in the third quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 361.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on American Water Works from $162.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 16th. Barclays cut their price objective on American Water Works from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Weiss Ratings raised American Water Works from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Truist Financial set a $139.00 target price on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $136.75.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of AWK opened at $142.83 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $135.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $131.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.58. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $120.57 and a 52 week high of $144.14. 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 (NYSE:AWK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.08. The company 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a $0.8950 dividend. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.05%.

About American Water Works

American Water Works Company, Inc is a public water and wastewater utility that provides essential services to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers. Through its regulated businesses, the company supplies drinking water, collects and treats wastewater, and manages related infrastructure, including treatment plants, pipelines, storage facilities and customer service systems.

Founded in 1886, American Water has grown into one of the largest water and wastewater service providers in the United States.