Geode Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,039,122 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,359 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $655,025,000 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. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 71.7% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 803.1% during the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 289 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $123.29 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $24.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $130.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $131.08. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $121.28 and a 52-week high of $147.87.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.05 EPS. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a $0.895 dividend. The ex-dividend date is 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 dividend yield of 2.9%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AWK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. Bank of America dropped their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Water Works currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.11.

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.