American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.8889.

Several research analysts have weighed in on AWK shares. UBS Group set a $149.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on American Water Works from $142.00 to $126.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Bank of America upgraded American Water Works from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $117.00 to $139.00 in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on American Water Works from $134.00 to $122.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in American Water Works by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 350,471 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,782,000 after acquiring an additional 44,336 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its holdings in American Water Works by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 85,976 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,967,000 after acquiring an additional 4,553 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 136,504 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $19,000,000 after acquiring an additional 32,834 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 116,690 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $16,242,000 after acquiring an additional 7,831 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 88.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 257,413 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,829,000 after purchasing an additional 120,890 shares in the last quarter. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE:AWK opened at $136.20 on Monday. American Water Works has a one year low of $121.28 and a one year high of $155.50. The company has a market cap of $26.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $132.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 0.46 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.61% and a return on equity of 10.38%. American Water Works’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.15 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Equities analysts expect that American Water Works will post 5.71 earnings per share for the current year.

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.