Truist Financial Issues Pessimistic Forecast for American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Stock Price

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) had its price objective cut by equities researchers at Truist Financial from $137.00 to $130.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Truist Financial’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 6.27% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on AWK. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.11.

American Water Works Price Performance

AWK opened at $122.33 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $131.14. The firm has a market cap of $23.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.69, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.64. American Water Works has a twelve month low of $121.28 and a twelve month high of $147.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 10.20%. American Water Works’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.05 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that American Water Works will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.0% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,856 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $537,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,269 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $289,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,824 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in American Water Works by 71.7% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Faithward Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in American Water Works by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 1,602 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Water Works Company Profile

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.