Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Grows Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 59.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,551 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $1,669,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,824 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Faithward Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Water Works by 5.4% in the third quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 1,602 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC raised its holdings in American Water Works by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 13,108 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,711,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in American Water Works by 1.5% in the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 5,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $816,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $134.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.61. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $120.57 and a 52-week high of $147.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $129.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $131.04.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.35% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.895 per share. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AWK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Water Works from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Sunday, July 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on American Water Works from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.10.

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.