Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Raises Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 17.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 160,146 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,642 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $20,899,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AWK. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake 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 worth $361,355,000 after purchasing an additional 2,058,656 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in American Water Works by 38.0% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in American Water Works by 2.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,227,049 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,650,543,000 after purchasing an additional 597,916 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in American Water Works by 81.8% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,043,899 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $145,217,000 after buying an additional 469,641 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the third quarter worth about $45,769,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE AWK opened at $126.08 on Wednesday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $121.28 and a 12 month high of $150.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $24.62 billion, a PE ratio of 22.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $134.99 and its 200 day moving average is $132.43.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.09). American Water Works had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.05 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be paid a $0.895 dividend. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This is an increase from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AWK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Bank of America raised shares of American Water Works from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $117.00 to $139.00 in a report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned 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 target price of $140.44.

About American Water Works

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.