5,840 American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Shares Acquired by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 31.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,377 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,840 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $3,337,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AWK. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works in the first quarter worth about $33,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 361.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at about $43,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AWK shares. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays cut their target price on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $139.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $136.75.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE AWK opened at $142.83 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $120.57 and a 12 month high of $144.14. The stock has a market cap of $28.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s 50 day moving average is $135.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.97. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.35% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current 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 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.05%.

American Water Works Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc is a public water and wastewater utility that provides essential services to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers. Through its regulated businesses, the company supplies drinking water, collects and treats wastewater, and manages related infrastructure, including treatment plants, pipelines, storage facilities and customer service systems.

Founded in 1886, American Water has grown into one of the largest water and wastewater service providers in the United States.