Clearbridge Investments LLC Trims Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Clearbridge Investments LLC reduced its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 147,631 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 11,897 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.08% of American Water Works worth $19,266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in American Water Works by 71.7% in 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. Nemes Rush Group LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on AWK shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price objective on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. Barclays raised their target price on American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.11.

American Water Works Stock Up 2.4%

AWK opened at $125.43 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $129.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $130.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a market cap of $24.49 billion, a PE ratio of 22.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.62. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $120.57 and a 52 week high of $147.87.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.05 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. As a group, research 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 given a dividend of $0.895 per share. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. American Water Works’s payout ratio is presently 63.48%.

American Water Works Company Profile

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.