Zacks Research Issues Positive Forecast for AWK Earnings

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their Q4 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of American Water Works in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, December 5th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the utilities provider will post earnings of $1.11 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.10. The consensus estimate for American Water Works’ current full-year earnings is $5.28 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Water Works’ FY2026 earnings at $6.11 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, September 20th. Mizuho downgraded American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Wolfe Research raised American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.29.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE AWK opened at $130.70 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $137.42 and its 200-day moving average is $137.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $25.47 billion, a PE ratio of 25.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.70. American Water Works has a 12-month low of $113.34 and a 12-month high of $150.68.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wulff Hansen & CO. increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 12,816.0% in the second quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 1,464,674 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $189,177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,453,334 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in American Water Works by 1,131.1% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,438,137 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $210,313,000 after buying an additional 1,321,320 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment increased its holdings in American Water Works by 4,227.0% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 711,927 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 695,474 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 14,944.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 537,987 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $786,750,000 after buying an additional 534,411 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 631.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 445,788 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $65,192,000 after buying an additional 384,836 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.59%.

About American Water Works

American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.5 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems.