American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Stock: Vontobel Holding Ltd. Trims Position

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lowered its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 532,774 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 20,253 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $69,141,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mosley Wealth Management grew its stake in American Water Works by 1,289.4% in the third quarter. Mosley Wealth Management now owns 1,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 1,212 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its holdings in American Water Works by 1,120.8% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 73,212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,479,000 after purchasing an additional 67,215 shares in the last quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in American Water Works during the third quarter valued at $219,000. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its position in American Water Works by 250.0% during the third quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Paragon Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Water Works during the third quarter valued at $762,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.5%

American Water Works stock traded up $2.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $135.04. The company had a trading volume of 1,543,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,946,469. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $120.57 and a 12 month high of $145.64. The company has a market capitalization of $26.84 billion, a PE ratio of 23.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $134.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $131.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

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

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a dividend of $0.8950 per share. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AWK shares. Truist Financial set a $139.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of American Water Works from $162.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Water Works from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $137.12.

About American Water Works

American Water Works Company, Inc is a public water and wastewater utility that provides essential services to residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in the United States. Through its regulated operations, the company collects, treats, distributes, and manages drinking water, as well as collects and treats wastewater.

The company also provides services through businesses that support utilities, municipalities, military installations, and other public-sector customers.