American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Shares Bought by Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd

Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd raised its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 212.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,311 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 54,607 shares during the quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $10,930,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 120.2% in the 1st quarter. Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC now owns 157,829 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $21,479,000 after buying an additional 86,158 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Water Works by 0.3% during the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 101,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,854,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the first quarter worth $204,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its position in American Water Works by 59.0% in the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 12,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,669,000 after purchasing an additional 4,551 shares during the period. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 150.5% during the 1st quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 13,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,890,000 after purchasing an additional 8,343 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

American Water Works stock opened at $134.80 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $120.57 and a 52-week high of $147.87. The company’s 50 day moving average is $128.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $26.32 billion, a PE ratio of 23.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.61.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $1.21 billion during 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%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter 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. On average, research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th were issued a $0.895 dividend. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is 63.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AWK. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered American Water Works from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Sunday. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.60.

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.