Nuance Investments LLC Trims Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Nuance Investments LLC decreased its position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 62.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,630 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 62,365 shares during the quarter. Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $4,911,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings 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 period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 803.1% in the 3rd 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. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on AWK shares. Bank of America lowered their target price on American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group upgraded American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $137.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Two research analysts have 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.11.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK stock opened at $124.63 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $120.57 and a one year high of $147.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.10, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $129.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $130.83.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.05 EPS. The business’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. Equities analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a $0.895 dividend. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

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.