Country Trust Bank Reduces Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Country Trust Bank lowered its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 8.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 167,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 15,459 shares during the period. Country Trust Bank’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $23,272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the third quarter worth $26,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Concord Wealth Partners purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its holdings in American Water Works by 8,566.7% in the 2nd quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 260 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $133.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $25.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.39, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.76. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $120.63 and a 12-month high of $155.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $130.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.04. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.93% and a return on equity of 10.48%. The company had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. American Water Works’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be issued a $0.8275 dividend. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AWK. Mizuho set a $145.00 price target on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. UBS Group set a $149.00 price objective on American Water Works in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays cut their target price on American Water Works from $134.00 to $122.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Cowen assumed coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $142.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.20.

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.