Erste Asset Management GmbH Has $9.14 Million Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 25.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,363 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $9,142,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,219,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $290,729,000 after purchasing an additional 47,977 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 85,976 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $11,967,000 after purchasing an additional 4,553 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 489,371 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $63,863,000 after purchasing an additional 47,352 shares in the last quarter. TSP Capital Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,559,000. Finally, Reaves W H & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 80.1% during the 3rd quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 281,145 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,133,000 after purchasing an additional 125,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Friday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays raised their target price on American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Bank of America cut their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Two equities research analysts have 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. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.11.

American Water Works Price Performance

American Water Works stock opened at $122.53 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $23.93 billion, a PE ratio of 21.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.62. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $120.57 and a one year high of $147.87. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.77.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.09). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.17%.The company had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.05 EPS. American Water Works’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a $0.895 dividend. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.48%.

About American Water Works

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.