American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their FY2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of American Water Works in a research report issued on Wednesday, November 20th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $5.27 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $5.28. The consensus estimate for American Water Works' current full-year earnings is $5.27 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Water Works' Q2 2026 earnings at $1.53 EPS.
Several other research firms have also recently commented on AWK. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Water Works to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Bank of America reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded American Water Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on American Water Works in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $142.29.
View Our Latest Stock Report on American Water Works
AWK opened at $137.31 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $140.05 and a 200-day moving average of $137.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $150.68.
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. American Water Works's payout ratio is presently 60.59%.
In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total transaction of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at $5,268,308. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in American Water Works by 155.6% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works in the third quarter worth $51,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the second quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Water Works by 31.7% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.5 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems.
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