What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for AWK Q3 Earnings?

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) – Zacks Research boosted their Q3 2024 EPS estimates for shares of American Water Works in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, October 29th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.83 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.82. 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’ Q4 2024 earnings at $1.09 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $5.28 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.05 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.92 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.23 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.59 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.10 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on AWK. Mizuho cut shares of American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.00.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $135.69 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $26.44 billion, a PE ratio of 27.64, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s fifty day moving average is $142.85 and its 200 day moving average is $136.10. American Water Works has a 52 week low of $113.34 and a 52 week high of $150.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 21.93%. American Water Works’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.44 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Water Works

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its stake in American Water Works by 100.0% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American Water Works by 155.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in American Water Works during the first quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in American Water Works during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of American Water Works 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 sale, the director now owns 36,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,268,308. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 62.32%.

American Water Works Company Profile

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.