Kestra Advisory Services LLC Buys 8,194 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 89.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,382 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,194 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $2,365,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Water Works by 82.6% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in American Water Works during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $135.08 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $127.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $130.64. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $120.57 and a 12 month high of $147.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.38 billion, a PE ratio of 23.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.61.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced 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). American Water Works had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.05 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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 expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company 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 is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays raised their target price on American Water Works from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their price target on American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.60.

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.