American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Stock Sold by Cooper Investors PTY Ltd.

Cooper Investors PTY Ltd. trimmed its holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 69.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,497 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 5,684 shares during the quarter. Cooper Investors PTY Ltd.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter worth $27,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the first quarter worth $33,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AWK shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.11.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE AWK traded up $0.59 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $130.14. 1,818,217 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,000,220. The company has a market capitalization of $25.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $135.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $132.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $120.57 and a 12-month high of $145.64.

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

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a $0.8950 dividend. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is currently 62.05%.

About American Water Works

American Water Works Company, Inc is a public water and wastewater utility that provides essential services to residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in the United States. Through its regulated operations, the company collects, treats, distributes, and manages drinking water, as well as collects and treats wastewater.

The company also provides services through businesses that support utilities, municipalities, military installations, and other public-sector customers.