Aureus Asset Management LLC Invests $22.71 Million in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Aureus Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 166,878 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $22,710,000. American Water Works comprises approximately 1.5% of Aureus Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in American Water Works by 71.7% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AWK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Truist Financial decreased their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 target price on American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.60.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $133.83 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.73, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.61. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $120.57 and a 12 month high of $147.87. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $127.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.09). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.17%.The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. The firm’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. Research analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 2.7%. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.48%.

American Water Works 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.