Empowered Funds LLC Takes $2.01 Million Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 15,277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,010,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AWK. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Water Works by 82.6% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Nemes Rush Group LLC purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK stock opened at $140.77 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.59. The business’s 50-day moving average is $135.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.32. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $120.57 and a 1 year high of $145.64.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.08. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.35%.The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.48 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a $0.895 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 62.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Truist Financial set a $139.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.78.

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.