American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Stock Position Increased by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 21.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 173,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 30,812 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $22,622,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 803.1% during the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 289 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting American Water Works

Here are the key news stories impacting American Water Works this week:

• Positive Sentiment: American Water completed a $315 million acquisition of Nexus Water Group systems in eight states, expanding its regulated footprint and adding long-term rate-base growth potential. American Water Completes Purchase of Nexus Water Group Systems in Eight States
• Positive Sentiment: Several subsidiary acquisitions were completed on June 1, including systems in New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois, which should support customer and regulated asset growth. New Jersey American Water Completes Purchase of Montague Sewer & Water Company’s Utility Systems
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch noted that AWK underperformed peers during Monday trading, suggesting investors are not fully rewarding the acquisition news yet. American Water Works Co. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s weakness may also reflect investor caution around the size of the acquisition and its near-term capital spending needs, even though the assets are regulated.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AWK shares. Barclays lifted their target price on American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $137.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.11.

American Water Works Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $120.99 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.04. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $120.61 and a 52-week high of $147.87. The firm has a market cap of $23.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.34.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a $0.895 dividend. This is an increase from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.