American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Stock Acquired by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 31.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,377 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,840 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $3,337,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AWK. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in American Water Works in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 361.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the second quarter worth $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $142.83 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The business has a 50 day moving average of $135.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.97. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $120.57 and a 12-month high of $144.14. The company has a market capitalization of $28.38 billion, a PE ratio of 24.75, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.58.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.08. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.35% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.08 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a dividend of $0.8950 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AWK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial set a $139.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $162.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on American Water Works from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $136.75.

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc is a public water and wastewater utility that provides essential services to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers. Through its regulated businesses, the company supplies drinking water, collects and treats wastewater, and manages related infrastructure, including treatment plants, pipelines, storage facilities and customer service systems.

Founded in 1886, American Water has grown into one of the largest water and wastewater service providers in the United States.