Commerce Bank Invests $3.53 Million in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Commerce Bank purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 26,854 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,533,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 82.6% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $139.90 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $27.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.60. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $131.64. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $120.57 and a 1-year high of $146.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.08. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.35%.The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a $0.895 dividend. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AWK has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Truist Financial set a $139.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.78.

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.