Prudential PLC Lowers Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Prudential PLC lessened its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 92,862 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,221 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $12,118,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in American Water Works by 71.7% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 803.1% during the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 289 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $124.63 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $120.57 and a twelve month high of $147.87. The firm has a market cap of $24.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.10, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50 day moving average of $129.73 and a 200 day moving average of $130.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. American Water Works’s 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. As a group, 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 disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. This is an increase from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated 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 shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $137.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, April 26th. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $138.11.

American Water Works 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.