Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 22.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,789,454 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 503,639 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $233,524,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AWK. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $337,004,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 383.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,596,125 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $361,355,000 after buying an additional 2,058,656 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its stake in American Water Works by 38.0% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,386,873 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $311,487,000 after buying an additional 657,849 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in American Water Works by 2.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,227,049 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,650,543,000 after buying an additional 597,916 shares during the period. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $69,855,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $124.63 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.62. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $120.57 and a 1-year high of $147.87. The company’s fifty day moving average is $129.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.37.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.17%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.05 earnings per share. 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 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.895 per share. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Truist Financial decreased 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, May 29th. Two 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.com, American Water Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.11.

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.