American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Stock: New England Research & Management Inc. Decreases Stake

New England Research & Management Inc. cut its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,827 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,450 shares during the period. American Water Works accounts for 1.2% of New England Research & Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $3,085,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AWK. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter worth $2,712,173,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in American Water Works by 35.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,911,963 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,962,116,000 after purchasing an additional 3,883,057 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter valued at $1,171,477,000. Amundi lifted its position in American Water Works by 4.3% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 4,351,056 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $592,081,000 after purchasing an additional 179,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter valued at $443,787,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on American Water Works from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Water Works from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of American Water Works from $162.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $137.12.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK traded up $2.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $135.04. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,543,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,946,469. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.84 billion, a PE ratio of 23.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.58. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $134.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.95. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $120.57 and a 52 week high of $145.64.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.35%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.48 earnings per share. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a $0.8950 dividend. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.05%.

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.