Norris Perne & French LLP MI Buys 209,858 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Norris Perne & French LLP MI bought a new position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 209,858 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $27,170,000. American Water Works accounts for approximately 1.2% of Norris Perne & French LLP MI’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter valued at about $2,712,173,000. GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,171,477,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in American Water Works by 35.2% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,911,963 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,962,116,000 after purchasing an additional 3,883,057 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter valued at approximately $443,787,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter valued at approximately $367,632,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of AWK stock opened at $142.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.52. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $120.57 and a fifty-two week high of $144.14. The firm has a market cap of $28.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $135.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $131.97.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.08. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.35%. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a $0.8950 dividend. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AWK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $162.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $136.75.

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 institutional customers. Through its regulated businesses, the company supplies drinking water, collects and treats wastewater, and manages related infrastructure, including treatment plants, pipelines, storage facilities and customer service systems.

Founded in 1886, American Water has grown into one of the largest water and wastewater service providers in the United States.